With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
LA Police Commission Says Officer Who Shot and Killed Teenage Girl Last Year Violated Department Policy
Soledad Peralta and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas as they leave their daughter's funeral.
(
Samanta Helou Hernandez for LAist
)
The Los Angeles Police Commission has determined that an LAPD officer violated policy when he shot and killed a 14-year-old girl in a Burlington store in North Hollywood last December.
The Backstory
Body cam video from Dec. 23, 2021 shows LAPD officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. rushing ahead of other officers and firing three shots at Daniel Elena-Lopez, who had assaulted a woman in the store. Before Jones shoots, other officers are heard telling him to “slow down.”
The first shot struck and killed Elena-Lopez. But one bullet went through a wall and killed Valentina Orellana-Peralta while she was in a dressing room with her mother.
Sponsored message
LAPD Chief Michel Moore wrote in a report to the commission that he believes all three shots violated department policy.
On a 3-2 vote, the commission found the first shot, which struck and killed Elena-Lopez, did not violate policy. The vote was 4-1 in finding the other two shots did violate policy.
Orellana-Peralta’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Jones last summer.
The commission also criticized many of the other officers at the scene for bad tactics.
What's Next
Moore can now decide whether to discipline or fire Jones.
Go deeper:
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
