LA police give details of violent incident before fatal shooting of girl, 14, hiding in changing room
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - A body-camera video recording showed the chaotic, violent moments leading to the fatal Los Angeles police shooting of an assault suspect in a clothing store and of a 14-year-old girl caught in the line of fire while hiding inside a dressing room.
The stray bullet that pierced the fitting-room wall, killing the girl, is believed to have come from the gun of the police officer seen firing three rifle shots at the suspect, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said in posting the video on Monday.
The girl who died in the Dec 23 shooting has not been publicly named by police. But local media reports have identified her as Valentina Orellana-Peralta. They said she was shopping with her mother for a dress for her upcoming quinceanera, a 15th birthday celebration in Hispanic traditions.
The girl was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and came to the United States six months ago with her mother to visit an older sister, the Los Angeles Times reported.
LAPD officers dispatched to the store were responding to several radio calls of an assault and possible shooting in progress, the police said.
Video footage released on Monday by the police showed the bearded, burly suspect, identified as Daniel Elena-Lopez, 24, entering the store with his bicycle and behaving erratically as he proceeded to menace and accost several shoppers.
At one point, the man is seen in store-security video knocking a woman to the ground and dragging her across the floor away from her shopping cart as he repeatedly bludgeoned her with a bicycle cable lock.
In a separate audio-video recording from body camera footage of the policeman closest to the suspect, Elena-Lopez, holding a large object in his hands, is seen standing with his back to the fitting room, a few metres from the bleeding woman, as the officer raised his rifle and shot the suspect dead.
The bludgeoned woman was subsequently hospitalised for injuries to her head and arms, police said.
In a statement accompanying the videos, LAPD spokesman Captain Stacy Spell said the 14-year-old girl, who had been in the dressing area with her mother, was found in the fitting room as the police searched the store for additional victims.
The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is under way, an LAPD spokesman said.
No firearm was recovered from the suspect, police said.
LAPD chief Michel Moore issued a statement promising a "thorough, complete and transparent" investigation of what he called a "devastating" tragedy.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the slain girl died in the arms of her mother, who had been working on documentation to stay in the US with her daughter permanently.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now