A Los Angeles jury found the city not liable in the 2021 death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was hit by a stray police bullet inside a North Hollywood store. After a monthlong wrongful-death trial, jurors voted 9-3 for the city. Oversight bodies conflicted on whether the officer’s shots were justified, and a 2024 state report declined to recommend criminal charges.
Jury Rules Los Angeles Not Liable After 14-Year-Old Killed by Officer’s Stray Bullet
The casket containing 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peraltais readied for her funeral at the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California in January 2022. - David Swanson/AP
A Los Angeles jury on Thursday found the city not liable in the death of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta, who was struck by a stray bullet fired by an LAPD officer inside a North Hollywood Burlington store on Dec. 23, 2021.
Trial and Verdict
The wrongful-death trial, which lasted nearly a month, ended with the jury ruling 9-3 in favor of the city after just over a day of deliberations. The family had sued the Los Angeles Police Department alleging wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
The Shooting
Police had responded after a man armed with a bike lock assaulted two women inside the building. Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. was among a group of armed officers who entered the store. Jones fired three times; the shots killed the attacker and one bullet — after reportedly ricocheting off the floor behind the man — passed through a dressing room wall and struck Valentina, who was shopping with her mother.
Investigations and Oversight
Jones told the LAPD Use of Force Review Board that he had mistaken the bike lock for a gun and believed the suspect was standing in front of an exterior brick wall when the area actually contained dressing rooms. The Los Angeles Police Commission, a civilian oversight board, concluded in 2022 that the first shot was justified but that the second and third shots were out of policy. Then-Police Chief Michel Moore’s internal review found all three shots unjustified.
An April 2024 report from the California Attorney General’s office determined that Jones acted with the intent to defend himself from what he reasonably believed was imminent death or serious bodily injury and recommended that criminal charges not be filed.
Reactions
Nick Rowley, the family’s attorney, called the verdict "the most devastating loss of my career" in a video statement and said he could not reconcile the jury’s decision.
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said the city shares the family’s grief but that the jury reached the correct conclusion. She added that the officer will carry the burden of Valentina’s death for many years.
The jury found the city not negligent on all counts of the complaint. The case underscores continuing tensions between civilian oversight reviews, internal police findings and state-level determinations about criminal culpability in police shootings.
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