LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The parents of a 14-year-old girl who was killed by a stray bullet fired by Los Angeles police called for full transparency Tuesday.
During an emotional news conference outside the LAPD headquarters, the mother of Valentina Orellana-Peralta described how her daughter died in her arms inside a North Hollywood Burlington Coat Factory dressing room, as the teen was trying on dresses two days before Christmas.
Police were firing shots at an assault suspect, who also died in the shooting, when one of the bullets hit the wall behind him. Orellana-Peralta’s dressing room was on the other side.
“As I lay screaming for help, the police did not come to help me or my daughter, but I kept screaming,” Valentina's mother, Soledad Peralta, said, according to City News Service. “When the police finally came, they took me out of the dressing room and left my daughter laying there. I wanted them to help her, but they just left her laying there alone.”
An attorney for the family said they sent a preservation of evidence letter to the LAPD immediately after the shooting to ensure transparency, according to CNS.
Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday that attorneys are also trying to access surveillance video from the store.
“We want all the documentation, complete transparency, not just a perspective that tries to justify things, we want everything released,” said Crump, adding that attorneys are “going to address how things could have been done differently to prevent (Valentina) from being collateral damage.''
Valentina's parents, speaking through translators, revealed their daughter came to L.A. from Chile about six months ago and had dreams of becoming an engineer, an American citizen, and going to see a Los Angeles Lakers game with her father, according to CNS. She was a student at Tech Los Angeles Charter School.
On Monday, police released body-camera footage and 911 calls of the shooting that occurred around 11:45 a.m. Thursday, when officers responded to reports of a man assaulting people inside the store.
Surveillance video showed the suspect, 24-year-old Daniel Elena Lopez, attacking several women with a bike lock. Lopez was fatally shot by police shortly after officers encountered him and a woman he viciously attacked.
Police said no gun was found at the scene.
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