Warning: The video above may be disturbing to some viewers.
The Trader Joe's employee who died during a shootout between cops and suspect Gene Evin Atkins over the weekend was killed by police fire, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.
Melyda Corado, an assistant manager at the Trader Joe's in Silver Lake, was exiting the store Saturday when Atkins was attempting to enter after shooting at officers who had been in pursuit since spotting him in Hollywood around 3 p.m. local time, KABC reported Tuesday.
"I'm sorry to report that we've now determined through our forensic investigation that one of the officers' rounds struck Ms. Corado as she was exiting the market and was in close proximity to Atkins," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said, adding that Corado—who suffered a wound to her left arm that "moved into her body"—then ran back into the store and collapsed.
Per CNN, Saturday's shootout and brief hostage situation was preceded by Atkins allegedly shooting his grandmother and kidnapping a 17-year-old "female acquaintance" before fleeing in the grandmother's personal vehicle. During the resulting pursuit, Atkins shot at officers through the back window. The acquaintance, authorities confirmed Tuesday, was also shot but she and the suspect's grandmother are expected to recover.
The vehicle pursuit ended when Atkins wrecked the vehicle outside Trader Joe's, at which point he entered the store before ultimately being taken into custody approximately three hours later. Tuesday, the LAPD shared dashcam and bodycam footage—embedded up top—showing portions of the pursuit and the suspect's arrival at Trader Joe's.
