*We’ve learned that the family of a young teenage girl who was killed just days before Christmas by police will be legally represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Crump and co-counsel Rahul Ravipudi have been retained by the family of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was killed in a Burlington Coat Factory dressing room (in North Hollywood) as LAPD officers shot recklessly at a suspect in a department store where she was trying on a dress.
As we reported earlier, Orellana-Peralta was with her mother in a dressing room at a Burlington Coat Factory location in North Hollywood when police descended on the store in search of a man who was accused of stalking customers and brutally assaulting them with a weapon. 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.
Elena Lopez, 24, was fatally struck. As officers swept the building for any further threats, they came upon Orellana-Peralta and her mother in the dressing room, where they found the teenager had also been hit by at least one police bullet that was fired from an assault rifle, according to a press release from Crump’s office.
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Just days before Christmas, Valentina Orellana-Peralta was trying on Quinceañera dresses w/ her mom when police started shooting at a suspect outside of the dressing rooms. A stray bullet from an officer’s assault rifle struck & killed Valentina. Her death was preventable! pic.twitter.com/4FLs3WVrbj
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) December 28, 2021
As far as the LAPD is concerned, it was a simple mistake. So far, none of the officers involved in the shooting had been disciplined for their roles in the shooting.
“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. “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.”
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe account has been set up to accept funds to help pay for ”travel costs and burdens, funeral costs, potentially legal expenses and other kinds of incidentals.”
Orellana-Peralta and her mother immigrated from their native Chile “with the goal of a better life in California just months before her death,” the GoFundMe says. As of this posting (12/30/21), the GoFundMe campaign had exceeded its goal of $30,000 and was nearing $50,000.
The GoFundMe also invited people to sign an online petition demanding justice for Orellana-Peralta. It asks for “any tips on who is the Officer who shot Valentina Orellana Peralta.”
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