Grocer Pleads Innocent in Girl’s Shooting Death

A Korean grocer pleaded innocent Thursday to murder charges in the death of a black teen-age girl shot in a South-Central Los Angeles market over a bottle of orange juice.

The shooting sparked angry protests by blacks and increased tensions between the black and Korean communities. A Superior Court judge, in accepting Soon Ja Du’s plea, released her on $250,000 bail over the objections of the prosecutor.

Du allegedly shot 15-year-old Latasha Harlins in the back of the head during an argument and brief struggle after Du accused the girl of trying to steal a bottle of orange juice from the family store. Prosecuctors said the evidence in the case, including a videotape from a store camera, shows Harlins had put the juice in a backpack and was attempting to pay for it when the dispute erupted. Prosecutors said an autopsy showed the girl was shot in the back of the head as she turned to leave the store, a conclusion Du’s attorney disputes.