Chilean female student Valentina Ollana Peralta wanted to study robotics and become a U.S. citizen, but her dreams were shattered in the fitting room of a clothing store in Los Angeles two days before Christmas. , where she was mistakenly killed by American police.
On December 23, local time, when Los Angeles police opened fire on a man suspected of attacking a woman at a local department store, a bullet penetrated the store wall and hit 14-year-old Valenti in the fitting room. Na. The Los Angeles Police Department released edited surveillance footage and footage from police body cameras on Tuesday, raising new public questions about the deadly shooting.
The video shows the 24-year-old suspect entering the department store that day and taking the escalator upstairs, then changing clothes and returning to the escalator again, waving the bicycle lock at the customer. He was seen attacking several women. Footage from body cameras showed a woman lying on the floor covered in blood when police arrived looking for the suspect, who was not far away. A police officer then fired three shots with a rifle at the suspect, who then fell to the ground and died. However, one of the bullets passed through the wall and hit Valentina, who was in the fitting room with her mother, killing her. An autopsy revealed that Valentina died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Valentina's mother said she was shopping for her daughter's Christmas dress when she hid in the fitting room after hearing the screams. She and her daughter sat down in the fitting room, hugged each other, and prayed before her daughter fell to the ground after being shot. The mother cried, "She died in my arms and I couldn't do anything. Seeing a son or daughter die in my arms is one of the most painful things you can imagine. Now our lovely Angels are gone forever."
Valentina's father, who had flown to Los Angeles from Chile after the incident, told reporters that his daughter had assured him that the United States was "the safest country in the world." It is understood that Valentina came to the United States from Chile with her mother and sister about 6 months ago.
Valentina's father said, "I have no words to describe what I'm going through, especially during this holiday season. I can't sleep... Her only wish is to become a U.S. citizen. I used to tell her we're leaving this Country. She said, 'No, Dad, this is the safest country in the world, a country of opportunity.' But now my daughter is dead in this country."
Valentina's uncle told CNN in Chile, "This girl has been stripped of her American dream. Everyone fled to the locker room and unfortunately the bullets found her. They were supposed to be the best police department in the world. , but they killed her."
Los Angeles police said the investigation is still in its early stages. The California Department of Justice, the state attorney general's office, and the inspector general's office will also reportedly be involved in a review of the incident.
The sources of this report are：