
An officer firing at a suspect also killed a 14-year-old in a Burlington store. What he knew at that moment will be key in determining wrongdoing, experts say
CNN
The fatal shooting of a 14-year-old girl when an officer's bullet ripped through a California department store dressing room wall has raised serious questions about whether he was justified in firing his weapon at a man suspected of attacking a woman with a bicycle lock in the store.
The Los Angeles Police Department unit that was responding to numerous reports of an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible shooting in progress on December 23 was operating under active shooter mode and following police protocols for responding to mass shootings, according to Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Protective League, a police union that represents LAPD officers.
The incident at the Burlington store in North Hollywood has sparked outrage as the public and family members of the victim demand answers about why the officer opened fire on the suspect who was not armed with a firearm, ultimately resulting in his death and the death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta in her mother's arms.