LOS ANGELES (KNX) – A month prior to the Burlington Coat Factory store shooting that left a 14-year-old girl dead, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were required to read a training bulletin informing officers to be alert of their surroundings before firing their guns.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the bulletin informed officers to “consider potential overpenetration issues and ricochet hazards posed by pistol and rifle bullets, shotgun slugs and shotgun buckshot ammunition.”
Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, told City News Service that the officer involved in the shooting had completed training on how to handle an active shooter situation two weeks prior.
On Dec.23, LAPD officers responded to a man who was assaulting a woman at the Burlington store in North Hollywood. It was reported the man was armed.
When the officers went inside the store, shots were fired, killing the suspect, who was identified as 24-year-old Daniel Elena Lopez. One of the bullets went through the drywall behind the suspect and into a dressing room, killing 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta.
The officer involved in the shooting was identified as William Jones. He was placed on administrative leave.
On Monday, a funeral for Orellana-Peralta was held where activist Reverend Al Sharpton criticized the actions of the LAPD.
“There is no rationale for you to go in a department store two days before Christmas and be in pursuit of a man...[and] have disregard for the innocent lives that you put at danger with the tactics that you used to try and go after this man," Sharpton said.
Police Chief Michel Moore ensured a “thorough, complete and transparent investigation” and on Dec. 27, the bodycam footage of the shooting was released. The California Department of Justice is also investigating the shooting.
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