Good morning, L.A. It’s Dec. 29.
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The parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the 14-year-old girl who was fatally shot by an LAPD officer while trying on clothes in a Burlington dressing room, spoke out yesterday.
Wearing a sign that read “Justicia para nuestra hija, Valentina” Soledad Peralta, Valentina's mother, described her excruciating ordeal during a press conference yesterday. My colleague Emily Elena Dugdale was there and wrote the following:
[Soledad and Valentina] were in the dressing room of the Burlington store when they heard screaming and a commotion outside. She said Valentina locked the dressing room door to protect them. They hugged and prayed.
When her daughter was hit, Peralta didn't realize it at first until Valentina slumped over. "When she died in my arms, I couldn’t do anything,” she said in Spanish.
Peralta said she screamed for help after her daughter was shot, but no one [came to her aid]. She said that once LAPD officers did show up "they just left her laying there alone.”
Peralta said having your daughter die in your arms is “one of the greatest and most profound pains that any human can imagine.”
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LAPD was called to the store after reports of possible shots fired inside the store. Video from the incident shows, however, that 24-year-old Daniel Elena-Lopez did not have a gun; he was, however, suspected of assault.
Elena-Lopez was also killed when the officer opened fire.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.
If you drink, New Year’s might mean a guaranteed hangover. The good news is, cultures all around the world have cures for that roiling stomach, pounding head and overall miserable feeling. And you might even notice that they all have something in common: simple carbohydrates + electrolytes + grease. Here are some of our favorites in L.A.
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