The father of the 14-year-old girl who was killed by a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer when a bullet went through a dressing room wall said his daughter once praised the United States for being a safe country for her and her family.
Valentina Orellana-Peralta was fatally shot on Dec. 23 in a Los Angeles department store while police attempted to apprehend a suspect who had attacked several female customers with a bike lock.
“I have no words to describe what I’m going through, especially during this holiday season,” said Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, Valentina’s father, who is from Chile.
“I cannot sleep … All she wanted was to become a American citizen. I once told her, let’s leave this country. ‘No, papa,’ she said. ” ‘This is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.'”
He added, “Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state.”
The father’s remarks come a day after the LAPD released body camera footage from the incident.
“Unbeknownst to the officers, a 14-year-old girl was in the changing room behind a wall, and was behind the suspect, out of the officers’ view,” said LAPD Captain of Media Relations Stacy Spell. “At this preliminary phase in the investigation, it is believed that the victim was struck by one of the rounds fired by an officer at the suspect.”