A civil trial jury sides with an LAPD officer in the deadly North Hollywood shooting. Camilla Rambaldi reports for the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Thursday May 7, 2026.
Jurors found a Los Angeles Police Department office was not negligent in the 2021 shooting inside a North Hollywood Burlington store that killed a 14-year-old girl who was trying on clothes in side a dressing room.
The verdict came at the end of a civil trial that stems from the December 2021 shooting death of 14-year-old Valentina Peralta, who had been shopping for clothes with her mother when an LAPD officer opened fire on a man armed with a bike lock who had attacked two women at the business.
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The man sought in the assault was killed in the shooting. Valentina was struck and killed by a bullet that ricocheted off the floor and entered a changing room.
Her family filed a lawsuit over the shooting death, leading to the civil trial. Attorney General Rob Bonta previously determined that no criminal charges would be filed against the officer, stating the evidence showed the officer believed he was acting in self-defense or in defense of others.
Officer William Doresy Jones Jr., who testified at the trial about his training and the capabilities of the assault rifle he used in the shooting, was one of several officers who responded to the store.
The Peralta family's attorney said they were seeking to show that Jones was "negligent in his duties as a police officer," not accusing him of deliberately shooting the girl. Attorney Haytham Faraj asked Jones whether he was too "excited" to use his firearm for the first time in real life.
"Absolutely not," Jones replied. "That's the last thing I want to do."
Valentina's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking more than $100 million in damages.
Police released body-camera video of the encounter with the 24-year-old man inside the store. That footage included images showing the man a woman, beating her with the bike lock as officers arrived.
The video also captured the sound of police gunfire as officers found the man, still wielding the cable lock in his hand. He was struck by gunfire and died at the scene.
The LAPD video included 911 calls, one of which included a store employee telling a dispatcher about the man attacking people inside the store. In another 911 call, a woman reported the sound of shots being fired in the store, saying there's "a guy with a gun."
No gun was found at the scene.
In a statement, Los Angeles police said officers did not know the dressing room was occupied. Valentina was found after the shooting during a search for additional attackers.
According to Bonta's office, investigators "concluded that the evidence does not show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer involved acted without the intent defend himself and others from what he reasonably believed to be imminent death or serious bodily injury. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officer. As such, no further action will be taken in this case."
The office recommended that the LAPD consider making changes to "improve lines of communication in response to 'immediate action and rapid deployment' scenarios."
Valentina attended High Tech Los Angeles Charter School, where she had just passed her math and physics exams.
The family later sued the city.
The city Police Commission ruled in 2022 that the officer violated department policy in the shooting. The panel determined that the first shot he fired was within policy, but the second and third were not. Then-Chief Michel Moore and determined that the officer "inaccurately assessed" the threat posed by the suspect, saying he should have been able to ascertain that he was not dealing with an active shooter.
