*The veteran Los Angeles police officer who fatally shot a 14-year-old girl as she was shopping at a mall with her mother has been identified as 42-year-old William Dorsey Jones Jr.
According to The Daily Beast, Jones is said to be known as a “community advocate and reformer,” the outlet writes. The Kentucky native launched an apparel line called “Use of Force Fitness” but dissolved it in December 2020, amid protests against police violence.
We previously reported that 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta was killed in a Burlington Coat Factory dressing room (in North Hollywood) on Dec. 23 as LAPD officers shot recklessly at a suspect in a department store where she was trying on a dress.
Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a dressing room when police descended on the store in search of a man who was accused of stalking customers and brutally assaulting them with a weapon, we reported earlier. When at least one of the LAPD officers spotted the suspect, Daniel Elena Lopez, shots were fired in his direction, according to the police narrative.
READ MORE: Family of Girl Killed in Reckless LAPD Shooting Repped by Ben Crump – GoFundMe Nears $50K | VIDEO
Per The Daily Beast, the victim’s mother, Soledad Peralta, said at a Tuesday press conference that her daughter locked the door inside the dressing room “to try to protect us” until they “felt an explosion that threw us both to the ground.”
That’s when she realized her child has been shot.
“She died in my arms, and there was nothing I could do,” she said.
Jones was identified by his lawyer in The New York Times as the officer responsible for the shooing.
According to The Daily Beast report, his social media accounts have been either locked or removed, but cached posts highlight Jones’ alleged passion for helping to better the relations between police and communities of color.
“I’m a black man, I’m the father of a black son, I’ve been the vict[im] of racism,” he wrote in one now-removed tweet. “I’m the LAPD. I have the power & determination to affect CHANGE in the community. Im a proud member of the #thinblueline & #blacklivesmatter.”
Jones also used his social media to promote a seemingly now-defunct nonprofit, Officers for Change, “a 501(c)(3) nonprofit org. on a mission to positively impact the lives of those living in At-Risk & Low Income communities” with a “Sworn platform to Educate, Inspire, Mentor & Motivate.”
He also spoke of his experiences as a Black cop in a now-deleted December 2020 article on the website of his alma mater, the University of Louisville, per the report. “Being an African American police officer and from Louisville has given me a very unique perspective,” he said.
Meanwhile, the family of the teenage girl who he fatally shot will be legally represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
“This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl’s life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family,” LAPD Chief Michel R. Moore said in a statement that was accompanied by an edited video from the scene of the shooting. “My commitment is to conduct a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led up to this tragedy and provide the family and public with as much information as possible. I have directed the release of the critical incident video by Monday, December 27th, which will include the 9-1-1 calls, radio transmissions, body-worn video and any CCTV and other evidence gathered at this preliminary stage.”
So far, none of the officers involved in the shooting have been disciplined.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
