LAPD Officer Cleared in Shooting Death of Teen Girl in Store's Dressing Room
The California Justice Department has decided not to press charges against an LAPD officer who accidentally shot and killed 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta while aiming at a suspect in a North Hollywood clothing store. The officer, William Jones, was aiming at a suspect who had assaulted multiple women with a metal bike lock in the store. The Justice Department concluded that the killing was unintended and unforeseeable, and that Officer Jones likely believed he was acting in self-defense or defense of others. The decision has sparked controversy and raised questions about police use of force.