The California Justice Department announced today that it has found no cause to file chargesagainst a Los Angeles police officer who, while aiming at a suspect, shot and killed a 14-year-old girl hiding in a department store fitting room.
Fourteen-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta was picking out a quinceanera dress with her mother just before Christmas in 2021. She was shot and killed by a bullet that ricocheted off the floor.
Once again American gun culture claims another victim. I don’t blame this one so much on the cop as I do prevalent availability of guns in the hands of violent individuals. There was an active shooter, the cop shot the active shooter and accidentally hit the girl. If it was a “good guy with a gun” the outcome probably wouldn’t have been different. The only way it does come out differently is if you take the guns out of the equation.
No, there wasn’t. Dude was hitting people with a bike lock. The only way it comes out differently is if you hold the police accountable for their horrible judgement, but clearly we’re not going to do that.
There were two separate 911 calls reporting an active shooter from people hiding in the store (apparently both mistook the smashing of glass as the sound of a gunshot), the officers that responded treated it as an active shooter situation because that’s what they were told it was
Showing up ready for a shooter because that’s what was reported is prudent. Being cautious as though a shooter may appear soon because that’s what was reported is prudent. Shooting to kill someone not armed with a gun while other parties are present and while your cohort has nonlethal weapons on hand and ready to use instead isn’t prudent any more