Mother of fifteen-year-old killed by police shooting in LA, confesses that her daughter died in her arms and demands justice
“For a daughter to die in your arms is the deepest pain anyone can have,” confessed Soledad Peralta.
Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
The family of the Chilean teenager, who was shot dead by a Los Angeles police officer, California, which was trying to arrest a suspect, asked this Tuesday for “justice” in the case of the minor , who had arrived in the United States six months ago and considered the country as “the safest in the world.”
Valentina Orellana Peralta, from 14 years, died on 23 December in the middle of an operation of the Department Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to arrest a suspect of assaulting customers in a clothing store.
“ Justice for my daughter. Let the one who has to fall fall ”, Juan Pablo Orellana, Valentina’s father, said today at a press conference.
The man , who traveled from Santiago (Chile) to Los Angeles for the death of his daughter, said he was devastated by the loss and that he will not rest until justice is achieved.
The LAPD agents’ operation came after several alert calls about a possible assault with a deadly weapon and subsequent notices about shooting at the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood.
Upon arrival at the store, officers found a subject that he was trying to assault a bloody woman. An agent opened fire on the attacker, who died at the scene.
At least A bullet went through the wall of a changing room where Valentina was with her mother, Soledad Orellana.
“We were together in a fitting room looking at clothes for Christmas. We hear screams. We sat hugging on a seat praying. When (suddenly) something hit my daughter Valentina and threw us to the floor ”, the woman recounted in the middle of sobs, adding that she could not do anything to save her. his daughter, who died in his arms.
“ See a son die or a daughter in one’s arms is one of the greatest and profound pain that a human being can imagine ”, added the immigrant, who had arrived six months ago with her youngest daughter to Los Angeles.
The woman joined her husband’s call for an investigation.
Valentina Orellana-Peralta, 14, came to the US from Chile with her mother, Soledad Peralta, about six months ago to visit her older sister.
On Thursday, her life was cut short when an LAPD officer shot her inside a Burlington clothing store.https: //t.co/9r1E5IPIfj pic.twitter.com/nE9scRXQ3E
Angeles Times (@latimes) December 80, 2021
In this regard, the head of the LAPD, Michel Moore, pr om increased transparency in the investigations and regretted the fact from the same day the shooting occurred.
“This chaotic incident that resulted in the death of an innocent girl is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. “Moore said in a statement last Thursday night.
“I deeply regret the loss of the life of this young woman and I know that there are no words that can alleviate the unimaginable pain of the family,” he added.
In an unusual action, this Monday the images of the body cameras of the LAPD agents who participated in the operation were revealed, and it is shown from the arrival of the officers to the moment one of them shoots at the suspect.
The images captured by the body camera of the officer who shot show how a woman was bloody and the suspect was hiding in a corridor when the officer shot him.
The dressing room wall was behind the suspect and the officer could not see that someone was in that place.
LAPD officers found the teen dead after seeing a hole in the wall, said the LAPD deputy director, Dominic Choi.
The suspect, who also died, was identified as Daniel Elena López, of 24 years. The female victim of the attack, who was injured, has not been identified.
Investigators are also trying to determine if the assault on the woman was random. or directed.
Rahul Ravipudi, a lawyer representing Soledad Orellana, asked the LAPD to publish the entire video of the scene and hold the officer accountable .
“There was no weapon, there was no active shooter, so there can be multiple problems, be it a system failure, if it’s someone who shouldn’t even have been at work,” Ravipudi said in the press conference.
The officer who shot has not been identified, but the LAPD said he is on paid leave pending a review of the case.
The California Attorney General’s Office, Rob Bonta, is investigating the incident.
For his part, Juan Pablo Orellana stressed that Valentina did not want to return to Chile, arguing that the United States was “the safest country in the world, the country of opportunities ”.
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