A Los Angeles jury has cleared the city of any responsibility in the tragic death of a teenage girl who was fatally struck by an officer’s stray bullet while holiday shopping with her mother nearly three years ago.
The 12-person jury reached their 9-3 decision Thursday following more than a day of deliberations in the wrongful death case involving 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta. The teen was shopping at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood on December 23, 2021, when a police bullet pierced through a dressing room wall and killed her.
The monthlong trial centered on a lawsuit brought by Orellana-Peralta’s parents against the Los Angeles Police Department. The family’s legal team accused the city of wrongful death, negligence, and causing severe emotional trauma, but jurors rejected all claims.
Family attorney Nick Rowley expressed his shock at the outcome in a recorded statement, describing it as “the most devastating loss of my career” and saying he cannot comprehend the jury’s reasoning.
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto acknowledged the family’s profound grief while defending the verdict as appropriate. She noted that the involved officer will continue to “carry the burden of Valentina’s death with him for many years.”
The deadly incident unfolded when police arrived at the store responding to emergency calls about a man attacking two women with a bicycle lock. Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. joined other armed officers searching the building and discharged his rifle three times, fatally shooting both the attacker and the innocent teenager.
During testimony before the LAPD’s Use of Force Review Board, Jones explained that he confused the bicycle lock for a firearm. The officer also believed the suspect was positioned near an exterior brick wall, unaware that women’s changing rooms were located in that area. One of his bullets bounced off the floor and traveled through the dressing room wall, striking Orellana-Peralta.
The case drew scrutiny from multiple oversight bodies with conflicting conclusions. The Los Angeles Police Commission determined in 2022 that Jones’ initial shot was warranted but his following two shots violated department policy. Former Police Chief Michel Moore disagreed entirely, concluding that all three shots were unjustified.
However, the California Attorney General’s office reached a different determination in April 2024, finding that Jones reasonably believed he faced “imminent death or serious bodily injury” and declining to pursue criminal charges against the officer.
