Valentina Orellana-Peralta: CCTV clip shows CHILLING moments before 14-yr-old was shot
The Los Angeles Police Department has released CCTV footage of a deadly shooting inside a North Hollywood store, in which two persons -- a 14-year-old bystander and a suspect -- were shot and killed by police last week. The teenager, Valentina Orellana-Peralta, was in the trial room with her mother, trying on a quinceanera dress for the celebration of a girl's 15th birthday when a guy assaulted people outside.
The LAPD has now released the footage wherein three bullets were fired at the suspect by the cops but one of them went through drywall behind him and struck the girl. The suspect, Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, was seen entering the shop wearing a tan shirt and shorts. He rode his bike up the escalators to the top floor.
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Valentina Orellana Peralta: Teen fatally shot by LA cop was shopping for quinceañera
Elena-Lopez then throws his bike lock at the store, after wounding several women. According to reports, the individual was acting strange and threatening to cause chaos by hurling stuff from the top floor. As the cops approached Elena-Lopez, body camera footage revealed a critically damaged lady on the floor bleeding from the incident.
"Hey get her out, get her out”, and “he’s hitting her now on the right-hand side,” Officers can be heard in the video saying followed by shouts that she was bleeding. The culprit may be seen standing some distance away from the injured woman on the floor. A cop fired three rounds at the suspect after approaching him. The suspect was shot, brought into custody after being hit by gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene by fire department paramedics, according to the LAPD.
LAPD News Release
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) December 24, 2021
North Hollywood Officer Involved Shooting Incident at Burlington Coat Factory pic.twitter.com/V3we8dZer9
Valentina's death was also verified in the announcement. The statement also added, “unbeknownst to the officers, a 14-year-old girl was in a changing room behind a wall that was directly behind the suspect and out of the officer’s view, She was in the changing area with her mother when the officers encountered the suspect and the officer-involved shooting occurred.” “During a search for additional suspects and victims, officers found the girl and discovered that she had been struck by gunfire. She was pronounced dead at the scene.” the statement continued. The victim is thought to have been hit by one of the officer's shots fired at the suspect.
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
The teen's killing, which the examiner deemed a homicide, has prompted anger among people, with many questioning the necessity to shoot at the suspect when it was unclear if he was armed. The bike lock was the only item retrieved from the crime scene, according to authorities. The California Department of Justice is now reviewing the event. Ben Crump, an American attorney and trial lawyer who has guided the Floyd family through the legal process, turned to Twitter to say that the teen's murder could have been avoided.