LOS ANGELES — A teenage girl in a dressing room was fatally shot by police who were firing on an assault suspect at a store full of last-minute holiday shoppers Thursday, authorities said.
The 14-year-old girl was found dead behind the dressing room wall, which was penetrated by gunfire, Los Angeles police officials said.
Assistant Police Chief Dominic Choi said at a news conference that a preliminary investigation indicated that the teen was fatally struck by an officer’s round.
Officers also shot and killed the assault suspect, police said.
A third person, whom police described as the victim of an assault that triggered the first calls to officials, was hospitalized with unspecified injuries, authorities said.
It wasn't clear whether or how the suspect, the girl and the assault victim were related, Choi said.
A new California law requires the state Department of Justice to investigate fatal shootings of unarmed civilians by law enforcement. »