Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Valentina Orellana-Peralta
Age : 14
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 08/26/2021
Location : Burlington store, 12121 Victory Boulevard
City : North Hollywood
County : Los Angeles
State : California
Agency : Los Angeles Police Department
Officer(s) :William Dorsey Jones Jr.
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Bystander killed by police gunfire
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 12/23/2021, 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta was shopping with her mother at the Burlington store at 12121 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood when Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to multiple 911 calls concerning a man attacking customers inside the store. Valentina and her mother took shelter together inside a dressing room as the disturbance unfolded.
The man, 24-year-old Daniel Abisai Elena Lopez, was attacking women with a heavy metal bicycle lock. Some information transmitted to responding officers indicated that there might be an active shooter, although investigators later determined that Elena Lopez did not have a firearm. Numerous LAPD officers entered the store and advanced toward the area where he had attacked a woman.
Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr., who had approximately 12 years with LAPD and was certified to carry a patrol rifle, moved to the front of the responding group because he was armed with the rifle. Body-camera footage documented other officers telling Jones to slow down and wait as they advanced. Jones then encountered a badly injured woman on the floor and saw Elena Lopez nearby holding an object.
Jones fired three rifle rounds at Elena Lopez, killing him. One of Jones's rounds struck the floor, deflected upward and penetrated the wall of the dressing room where Valentina and her mother were hiding. The bullet struck Valentina, killing her. She had no involvement whatsoever in the confrontation that brought police into the store.
The California Department of Justice investigated Valentina's killing under AB 1506 because she was an unarmed civilian killed by police. The investigation reviewed body-camera recordings, surveillance video, physical and ballistic evidence, witness statements and the circumstances surrounding Jones's decision to fire his rifle inside the occupied department store.
LAPD's internal review reached significant adverse findings concerning Jones's gunfire. The Los Angeles Police Commission determined that two of Jones's three shots violated department policy, while then-LAPD Chief Michel Moore concluded that all three shots were unjustified.
On 04/17/2024, the California Department of Justice announced that Jones would not face criminal charges. The DOJ concluded that the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jones committed a crime, finding that he likely believed he was acting in defense of himself or others and that Valentina's death was unintended. The DOJ nevertheless recommended that LAPD review and update aspects of its communication training.
Valentina's parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Jones and the City of Los Angeles alleging negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The case went to trial in 2026. In May 2026, a Los Angeles jury found that the city was not legally liable for Valentina's death, voting 9-3 that the city had not been negligent.
