Police publish videos of the fatal shooting where a girl died 1:05
(CNN) -
Valentina Orellana-Peralta's dream of becoming an American citizen and studying robotics ended days before Christmas in the dressing room of a Los Angeles clothing store, where she was shot dead by police.
A day after a video released by the Los Angeles Police Department raised new questions about the fatal shooting on Thursday, Valentina's mother described how she hugged her daughter and prayed in the locker room moments before the girl left. hit by a bullet from a police rifle.
Police publish videos of the fatal shooting where a girl died 1:05
A distraught Juan Pablo Orellana Larenas, who flew to Los Angeles from his native Chile, told reporters Tuesday that his daughter had once assured him that the United States was "the safest country in the world."
Through tears, Valentina's mother, Soledad Peralta, described that they took cover after hearing screams while buying a Christmas dress for the girl.
"We sat and hugged and prayed," Peralta said, adding that Valentina fell to the ground after being shot.
Peralta spoke at a press conference outside Los Angeles Police Headquarters along with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and others.
"He died in my arms," his mother said.
"I couldn't do anything. Watching a son or daughter die in your arms is one of the strongest and most deeply painful things you can imagine. Valentina meant the world to me and to her family and friends. Now, our sweet angel is He has gone forever. Valentina, give us strength, angel, to do justice. My daughter, I love you. "
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Orellana showed a skateboard that her daughter had ordered online for Christmas, and that she said she will now use with the angels.
Valentina came to the United States from Chile with her mother and sister about six months ago.
His father stayed in Chile, but had planned a trip to California for the holidays.
He was hoping to take his daughter to a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Valentina had excelled in her new school, despite her short stay in the country, according to her relatives.
"I have no words to describe what I am going through, especially during these holidays," said Valentina's father.
"I can't sleep ... All she wanted was to become an American citizen. I once told her to get out of this country. 'No, Daddy,' she said. 'This is the safest country in the world, a country opportunities. 'Now my daughter is dead at the hands of the state. "
Peralta said that they took her away and that Valentina's body was left on the floor of the locker room.
Crump, one of several attorneys representing Valentina's family, said the legal team is seeking access to all evidence from the Los Angeles police investigation.
"This 14-year-old girl should never have ended up as collateral damage in a shopping plaza," Crump said.
Los Angeles police released edited images from surveillance cameras and videos from police body cameras on Monday showing the events leading up to the teenager's death by an officer who shot a suspect.
The video shows a 24-year-old suspect identified as Daniel Elena-López entering the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood with his bicycle and wearing a tank top and shorts.
He takes his bike up the escalators.
Moments later, he returns to the stairs wearing a multi-colored jacket and long pants before brandishing his bike lock at customers, according to police.
He is seen attacking several women.
Several body camera videos released by police show a woman on the ground covered in blood as officers arrive and try to find the suspect, who, according to a police statement on Friday, was within walking distance.
In body camera recordings, an agent can be heard firing three bullets at the suspect, who subsequently falls to the ground.
The video shows the agent firing a rifle at the suspect.
Valentina died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to coroner records.
"They took the American dream from the girl," Valentina's uncle Rodrigo Orellana told CNN affiliate Chilevision from his native Chile this week.
"Everyone escaped to the locker room and unfortunately she was shot," he said.
"Supposedly the police who call themselves the best in the world, and they shot him."
"They took away the American dream from the girl," says young uncle killed by police shooting in California
Police Capt.Stacy Spell said the investigation is in its early stages.
The incident will also be reviewed by representatives of the California Department of Justice, the State Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Inspector General, according to Spell.
In a statement, the board of directors of the Los Angeles Police Protection League, which represents police officers, offered its condolences Tuesday.
"Words cannot convey our deep sorrow for the loss of Valentina Orellana-Peralta," the statement said.
"We pray for Valentina's family as she deals with this unbearable tragedy and we also pray for the officer involved in this incident as he is devastated by what happened."
Anthony Barksdale, a CNN law enforcement analyst and former Baltimore police deputy commissioner, said the video raises some questions.
"Was the use of the patrol rifle justified?" He asked Monday night on CNN.
"And ... if you are going to fire a bullet (.223) inside a department store, those bullets can easily pass through a body and continue to advance through the plaster wall. So you have to analyze the use of force."
Barksdale said the suspect did not appear to be advancing on a victim or officer when he was shot.
The police department released three 911 calls and radio broadcasts of the shooting.
Police were called in following numerous reports of an assault with a deadly weapon and a possible ongoing shooting at the store.
In one of the calls, a store clerk tells the operator that there is a "hostile customer in my store attacking customers" and "breaking things."
While talking on the phone, the woman is also heard repeatedly yelling at people to evacuate the store.
Explain to the operator that the suspect is using a bicycle lock to attack people.
The suspect died at the scene.
A steel or metal cable lock was found near his body, according to authorities.
No firearm was recovered at the scene.
The victim of the assault was taken to a hospital with head and arm injuries.
Police do not believe the woman knew the suspect.
The officer who fired the fatal shots is on "paid administrative leave, according to department protocols for shootings involving officers, for at least two weeks," a police official told CNN.
Last week Police Chief Michel Moore said: "This chaotic incident that has resulted in the death of an innocent girl is tragic and devastating for all involved. I deeply regret the loss of this young woman's life and I know there is no words that can ease the unimaginable pain of the family. "
- CNN's Cheri Mossburg, Sarah Moon and Topher Gauk-Roger contributed to this report.
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