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.

  • theareciboincident@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    So far, sentiment seems very understanding of the tough situation and a call that had unforeseen circumstances.

    Except, oh wait, it’s all bullshit passive voice copaganda.

    From the literal article:

    Los Angeles officer Jordan Head had a 40-millimeter bean bag gun, but before he could aim it at the suspect, Jones fired his AR-15 three times.

    Head “did not discharge the 40-millimeter launcher because, before he could aim, rounds were fired, and the suspect fell to the ground and was no longer an immediate threat,” according to the Justice Department analysis of the shooting.

    Officer Michael Mazur, who assumed command of the scene on arrival, told Jones to “slow down” multiple times, and at some point later told Head “It’s f—– up.  We tried to slow it down.”

    • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      How does someone come to a point where police going around with an AR-15 is even legal, much less common?

      What kind of large field ops with trained & organised counterparty are they expecting to encounter on a daily basis outside of an active warzone? And in a store?

      • Garbanzo@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        All it took was two dudes in body armor robbing a bank for every cop in America to shit their pants in fear. They’re so afraid of being helpless again that they went and bought fucking tanks.

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Technically it was two.

          The one heat was based on in California and the college tower sniper a few years later.

      • quindraco@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        How does someone come to a point where police going around with an AR-15 is even legal, much less common?

        I’ve only seen this once in my life, when I was visiting Paris, and the cops were casually lounging around with rifles.

        In America, generally a cop will carry a pistol, and keep rifles or shotguns in their car (in the trunk).

        • loutr@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          Are you sure they were cops? We’ve had soldiers patrolling on and off since the terrorist attacks, and I don’t think French cops carry anything other than handguns during their normal shift.

          • quindraco@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            Oh, that’s possible. I tend to instinctively assume American rules wherever I go since they’re what I know, and we virtually never deploy our military domestically, so I wouldn’t have thought to try to distinguish cops from the military.

            • activ8r@sh.itjust.works
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              8 months ago

              we virtually never deploy our military domestically

              Doesn’t sound like you’d need to if the cops are running around with that kind of fire power in their cars.

              • quindraco@lemm.ee
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                8 months ago

                To be clear in case I wasn’t, I was referring to semiautomatic firearms. In general, only the military will carry fully automatic weapons around as a matter of course. Similarly, I’m referring to (relatively) lower caliber than the military - I wouldn’t expect a cop to casually carry around a rifle chambered in .50, although I certainly would expect a shotgun for e.g. breaching a door when necessary.

        • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          I went to London which now feels like over two decades ago and was told they only have batons… Like 7 out of 10 cops had MP5s strapped casually to the side of them. Looking back I am like maybe 9/11 response? But that’s still like a couple years after. I don’t know, coming from the US I thought that was crazy. Some of our cops have shotguns usually, and in some towns, rifles in their car, and they are almost never used.

          • Metacortechs@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Had this same experience when I visited London 20+ years ago. Turns out it was the opening of Parliament that brought out all the MP5s according to the staff at the hotel.

        • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          Yeah, those were special forces (was it after those terrorist attacks?).

          I don’t know of any country in Europe where caps would keep rifles or shotguns in cars.

        • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Paris, like many big European cities, is a major terrorist target. It’s been hit numerous times, so they’re a bit on edge there. When the alert level is high, you’ll see military patrols as well. Although the effectiveness of those is dubious.

  • Otakulad@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Ah yes. The classic “We investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong defence.”

    Things like these need to be held by an independent team and no info given about those involved, e.g. the shooter was a police officer. Some people keep saying the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. The fact the shooter was an officer should have no bearing on the outcome then.

    Also, getting an independent team means new jobs for people. Get better results and be a job creator.

  • Red89@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    How is it not negligence? If a citizen did the same thing, they would get charged with negligence.

  • Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Sounds like an honest accident to me. I don’t think we should punish people for accidents or for the very least it should be taken into consideration in the sentencing. He was there after an active shooter. That takes courage - we need people like him.

    • RegalPotoo@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago
      • There were other officers on the scene
      • The other officers had warned the officer who fired to slow down and de-escalate, but they were ignored
      • The other officers had non-lethal options, but the officer escalated and fired live rounds in a situation where they couldn’t know if they were putting bystanders in danger

      Any asshole with a gun can shoot it. If you want courage, you want officers who are professionals, trained to de-escalate, contain and protect, not militant thugs who spray rounds at the spray rounds at the slightest provocation with no regard for bystanders

    • Garbanzo@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      He was there after an active shooter.

      He was there after an active bike lock swinger. Get the facts straight before you get to licking boots.

    • almar_quigley@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      How about no, and you should really be fucking ashamed of your pandering ass. Imagine one of your loved ones was murdered by a cop who was just being brave….you’d be fine with that? Don’t answer, just gtfo.

    • BigMacHole@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      I AGREE! I don’t care HOW MANY INNOCENT CHILDREN DIE, we need MORE COPS COURAGEOUSLY killing people armed with bike locks!