The parents of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the 14-year-old girl who a Los Angeles Police officer killed, and Ben Crump held a press conference on Tuesday in front of LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Both parents fought to hold back tears as they spoke.
“We heard screams, my daughter ran to lock the door to try and protect us, We sat down, held each other, and prayed when something hit my daughter, and we fell to the floor,” said Solidad Peralta, “She died in my arms. I couldn’t do anything.”
The Peraltas sought shelter in the same dressing room Valentina was trying dresses in after they heard the commotion of a man assaulting customers outside. An LAPD officer opened fire on the fleeing suspect, and one of the bullets went through the dressing room wall and struck and killed Valentina.
“To see a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the greatest pains and most profound pains that any human being can imagine," she said.
Juan Pablo Orellana, Valentina’s father, was in Chile when he received the call about his daughter's passing.