Celebs Pay Funeral Expenses of 14-Year-Old Killed by LAPD
Burlington Coat Factory Tragedy Celebs Reach Out to Cover 14-Year-Old's Funeral ... LAPD Has Not Offered to Foot Bill
A number of celebrities have reached out to the family of Valentina Orellana-Peralta, the 14-year-old who was shot and killed during the standoff at an L.A. Burlington Coat Factory, offering to pay their funeral expenses.
The family's lawyer, Ben Crump, tells TMZ celebs in the Hispanic community and beyond have offered to foot the bill for Valentina's funeral, and to a person they wanted their names to remain confidential. But he says the support the family has been receiving is overwhelming.
Crump says so far, neither the LAPD nor the City of Los Angeles has made a similar offer.
As we reported, LAPD cops rushed to the Burlington Coat Factory last week after getting a 911 call of a possible shooting inside the store. When police arrived they found a man swinging a bicycle chair with a lock attached as he swung at shoppers, striking 3 women and brutally bloodying one of them.
One of the cops fired 3 shots with AR-15, killing the suspect, but one of the bullets ricocheted off the floor and into the dressing room where Valentina and her mom were hiding. The bullet struck Valentina in the chest, and she died in her mother's arms.
We reached out to the LAPD to find out if the Dept. or the City had plans to cover the funeral. So far, no word back.
