A Los Angeles police officer has been found not liable for the death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was killed by a stray bullet during a confrontation in a clothing store in 2021. The Los Angeles County jury reached its decision on Thursday, concluding the wrongful death trial that began last month.
The incident occurred on 23 December 2021 at a Burlington store in North Hollywood. Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a man, Daniel Elena-Lopez, using a bike lock to smash items and attack customers. A store sales associate reported that the man was armed. Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr fired three rifle shots at Elena-Lopez, who fell to the ground.
After the shots, officers heard screams from a fitting room behind the suspect. Orellana-Peralta and her mother had been hiding there. The teenager suffered a gunshot wound to her torso and was pronounced dead at the scene. The bullet had ricocheted off the floor and hit the wall of her dressing room.
During the trial, Jones testified that he thought the bike lock was a gun, stating, 'You have fractions of a second to react. This is – in my mind – a life-or-death situation.' However, lawyer Haytham Faraj argued, 'Officers can’t shoot someone because they possibly have a weapon. Otherwise, they’d be shooting everyone.'
The family's attorney, Nick Rowley, expressed disbelief at the verdict, criticising the previous legal team for mishandling the case. He suggested that the jury should have heard evidence that former LAPD police chief Michel Moore deemed Jones's use of deadly force unjustified. The California attorney general did not pursue criminal charges against Jones.
