Los Angeles police fatally shot a teenage girl while firing at an assault suspect in a clothing store. The girl was in the dressing room of the same clothing store when a bullet went through the thick wall and struck the girl.
According to the authorities, police shot the suspect killing him at the spot at a Burlington store in the San Fernando Valley.
It was reported by the witnesses that a man was acting “erratically” in the store by throwing different items on the floor and also attacked another customer woman with a bicycle lock while the store was crowded by the holiday shoppers.
The officers reached at the spot on a report of the assault and fired many shots. No gun was found at the crime scene.
The assault suspect died at the store while being hit by one of the shots but unfortunately one of the fired bullets passed through the wall and killed the teenage girl who was inside the changing room with her mother.
The Los Angeles police department assistant chief Dominic Choi stated that “officers found the teenager dead after seeing a hole in a solid wall that you can’t see behind.” He further stated, “Investigators didn’t immediately know whether she was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide.”
The chief of police, Michel Moore released a statement on Thursday night stating “this chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girl’s life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family.”
Michel Moore also promised a “thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the shooting” and said that the investigation will include the 911 calls, the CCTV and body camera videos as well.
The names of the dead suspect and the teenage girl were not revealed to the media. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the assault by the suspect. They want to be sure whether the assault was targeted or random.
The customer woman who was assaulted by the suspect was taken to the hospital with a bloodied face. She appeared to have incurred moderate to serious injuries.
