A Los Angeles jury has ruled that an LAPD officer was not negligent in the 2021 shooting that killed 14-year-old Valentina Peralta, who was innocently trying on clothes in a Burlington store dressing room when she was struck by a ricocheting bullet.

The verdict, delivered Thursday, brings an end to a high-profile civil lawsuit filed by Peralta’s family following the December 2021 incident in North Hollywood. Valentina had been shopping with her mother when chaos erupted inside the store.

An LAPD officer opened fire on a 24-year-old man armed with a bike lock who was violently attacking women inside the store. The suspect was killed, but one of the officer’s bullets ricocheted off the floor and penetrated the dressing room wall, fatally striking the teenage girl.

Valentina’s family sought more than $100 million in damages, arguing that Officer William Doresy Jones Jr. was negligent in his use of deadly force. They did not accuse him of intentionally shooting the girl.

Officer Jones testified that he was acting to protect others and denied being “too excited” during his first real-life shooting incident.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta previously declined to file criminal charges, determining the officer reasonably believed he was acting in self-defense or in defense of others. Body-camera footage released by police showed the suspect actively assaulting a woman with the bike lock as officers arrived. No gun was found on the suspect.

The Los Angeles Police Commission had previously ruled that while the officer’s first shot was within policy, the second and third shots violated department guidelines.

Despite the civil jury’s verdict in favor of the officer and the city, the tragedy continues to raise difficult questions about officer tactics and rapid deployment in active incidents.

This heartbreaking case underscores the terrible reality of unintended consequences in high-stress law enforcement encounters. A young girl doing something as ordinary as shopping with her mother lost her life because of a ricocheted bullet during what officers believed was an active and dangerous assault.

While the jury determined Officer Jones was not negligent under the law, the outcome offers little comfort to Valentina’s grieving family. She was a promising student who had just passed her math and physics exams at High Tech Los Angeles Charter School.

The incident also prompted recommendations from the Attorney General’s office for the LAPD to improve communication and coordination during rapid deployment scenarios.

Valentina Peralta’s death remains a painful reminder of how quickly an everyday moment can turn tragic when violence erupts in public spaces — and how heavy the consequences of split-second decisions can be for everyone involved.