LAPD expresses "sorrow" over accidental killing of 14-year old Chilean girl as parents demand "justice"

Valentina Orellana-Peralta's dream of becoming an American citizen and studying robotic engineering was cut short just two days before Christmas when a LAPD officer opened fire at a man inside a North Hollywood store, fatally wounding the teenager.

According to police footage released on Monday, police entered Burlington Coat Factory responding to reports of a man assaulting customers. Upon encountering the suspect, 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez, an officer fired three bullets, killing him. One of the bullets bounced off the floor and went into the dressing room where the 14-year-old Chilean victim and her mother, Soledad Peralta, were hiding.

Valentina’s family — who told reporters they left Chile to escape violence — held a press conference outside of LAPD headquarters on Tuesday and called for "justice" and police accountability.

The family was joined by Ben Crump and co-counsel Rahul Ravipudi, famed civil-rights attorneys whom they retained.  

Speaking through an interpreter, Peralta tearfully recalled how she and her daughter were trying on clothes in the dressing room when they heard police confront the suspect outside. They hugged each other and prayed but Peralta recalls the feeling of helplessness she felt as her daughter lay dying in her arms after a bullet entered her chest. “I couldn’t do anything,” she said.

“To see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the pains — the greatest pains and most profound pains — that any human being can imagine,” said Soledad Peralta, the victim’s mother. “Now, our sweet angel has left us forever. Please give us strength, Valentina.”

Orellana-Peralta’s father flew in from Chile appeared distraught as he tearfully remembered his daughter’s dreams of integrating herself into American society.

"I have no words to describe what I'm going through, especially during this holiday season," Valentina's father said. "I cannot sleep... All she wanted was to become a American citizen. I once told her, let's leave this country. 'No, papa,' she said. "This is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.' Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state."

"The girl's American dream has been taken from her," Valentina's uncle, Rodrigo Orellana, told Chilevision earlier this week.

"Everyone fled to dressing rooms and, unfortunately, the bullet found her," he added. "They're supposed to be the best police department in the world and they shot her."

LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell said the investigation in its early stages but will also be reviewed by representatives from the California Department of Justice, the state Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Inspector General.

In a statement on Tuesday, the board of the Los Angeles Police Protective League offered its condolences, saying, "Words cannot convey our utter sorrow over the loss of Valentina Orellana-Peralta.”

“We pray for Valentina's family as they cope with this unbearable tragedy and we also pray for the officer involved in this incident as he is devastated over what occurred."

Last week, Police Chief Michel Moore told reporters:

"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."

The officer whose bullet accidentally struck Valentina is currently on paid administrative leave for at least two weeks.