A jury ruled Thursday that the city of Los Angeles is not liable for the death of a 14-year-old girl who was struck by a stray police bullet while Christmas shopping in 2021. The verdict came after a nearly month-long trial in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta against the Los Angeles Police Department.
Details of the Incident
Valentina was at a Burlington store in the North Hollywood neighborhood on December 23, 2021, with her mother when she was hit by a bullet that penetrated the dressing room wall. The bullet was fired by Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. during a shootout with a man wielding a bike lock.
Jury Decision
The jury sided with the city 9-3 after deliberating for just over a day. The family's attorney, Nick Rowley, described the outcome as "the most devastating loss of my career" in a video statement, expressing confusion over the decision.
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto expressed shared grief with the family but affirmed the jury's correctness, stating the city supports the officer who will bear the "burden of Valentina’s death with him for many years."
Police Response and Investigation
Police responded to calls about a man attacking two women with a bike lock in the building. Officer Jones, part of a group of armed officers, fired his rifle three times, killing the attacker and inadvertently hitting Orellana-Peralta. The lawsuit alleged wrongful death, negligence, and negligent infliction of emotional distress, but the jury found no negligence on all counts.
Use of Force Review
Jones told the LAPD's Use of Force Review Board that he mistook the bike lock for a gun and believed the man stood in front of an exterior brick wall, not the women's dressing rooms. One bullet ricocheted off the ground and through the wall, striking the girl. The Los Angeles Police Commission ruled in 2022 that Jones's first shot was justified but the subsequent two were out of policy. Then-Police Chief Michel Moore found all three shots unjustified. However, a California Attorney General's report in April 2024 determined Jones acted with reasonable belief of imminent danger and declined to file criminal charges.
