LOS ANGELES — Authorities have identified a 14-year-old girl killed by a bullet apparently fired by a Los Angeles police officer responding to a report of an assault at a Burlington department store last week.
On Friday, officials with the Los Angeles County coroner’s office identified the girl as Valentina Orellana-Peralta, KTLA reported. Authorities said she and her mother were in a changing room at the Burlington in North Hollywood on Thursday morning when officers opened fire on a man suspected of assaulting a woman in the store. A bullet went through a wall and into the dressing room, striking the girl, officials said.
Valentina had been shopping with her mother for a dress for a quinceanera, a celebration common in Latin America to mark a girl’s 15th birthday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“She was hugging her daughter and a bullet hit her daughter through the ribs,” an employee, who declined to be identified, told KTLA.
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Last week, Chief Michel Moore called the shooting “tragic and devasting for everyone involved” and vowed to release video and 911 call recordings from the incident on Monday.
“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,” Moore said in a statement. “My commitment is to conduct a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led up to this tragedy and provide the family and public with as much information as possible.”
Police said they got multiple calls reporting a possible shooting in progress around 11:45 a.m. Thursday while responding to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in progress at the Burlington store in the 12100 block of Victory Boulevard. Officers found an injured, bleeding woman at the store. They said they found the person suspected of assaulting the woman a short distance away.
Officers fired at the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Elena Lopez, killing him, according to The Associated Press.
Police said they recovered a heavy metal cable lock from near Elena Lopez, according to the Times. No gun was recovered from the scene.
The woman believed to have been assaulted by Elena Lopez suffered moderate-to-serious injuries to her head, arms and face, KTLA reported. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of her wounds, police said.
Online records from the medical examiner’s office showed both Valentina and Elena Lopez died of gunshot wounds to the chest.
The California Attorney General’s Office and the California Department of Justice are investigating the shooting.
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