LAPD Chief Michel Moore called Orellana-Peralta’s death “tragic” in a statement made to the AP on Tuesday. “It remains a point of grief for us as well,” he said.
Jones Jr. fired a rifle three times at Elena-Lopez, 24, who was at the end of the aisle. Video footage showed that other officers on the scene audibly called for Jones Jr. to “slow down” and “hold up!” before he fired.
A woman’s screams could be heard from the changing room area after the shots were fired.
Ringo H W Chiu/AP/Shutterstock
Peralta and Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, Valentina’s father, allege in the complaint that LAPD did not properly train and supervise the officers who responded to that Burlington store and “fostered an environment that allowed and permitted this shooting to occur,” the AP reported.
“It is their deepest hope that those responsible for her death will be held accountable and that changes will be made to LAPD policies, practices, and standards for using deadly force that will prevent yet another senseless tragedy at the hands of law enforcement,” Ravipudi’s statement added.
David Swanson/AP/Shutterstock
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Wednesday, but both the LAPD and the California Department of Justice have said that an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Also in the complaint, the family alleges that employees at the Burlington store “made no effort to address [Elena-Lopez’s] increasingly violent and erratic behavior or warn any of the customers inside the store that they may be in danger” during the incident, according to the AP.
Burlington Stores Inc. told PEOPLE in a statement Tuesday that “while we are unable to comment on the pending litigation, our customers' safety and well-being is of paramount importance to us.”
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
Orellana-Peralta,who was born in Chile, moved to the United States with her family “to get away from violence and injustice,” the AP reported.
In January, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Protection League said that Jones and other LAPD officers followed active shooter protocols at the Burlington store that day because some 911 calls claimed the suspect inside the store had a gun, though no gun tied to those reports was recovered, according toNBC News.
source: people.com
