(CNN) — Melyda Corado, a Trader Joe’s assistant manager who died during a shootout and standoff Saturday, was killed by an officer’s bullet, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said.
“I am truly sorry,” Moore said at a news conference Tuesday. “It is unimaginable the pain of the Eldorado family. We share the pain today.”
He said Corado was exiting the store as suspect Gene Evin Atkins was entering the store in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake. That’s when Corado was hit by LAPD gunfire, Moore said.
The melee started when Atkins allegedly shot his grandmother and kidnapped a 17-year-old female acquaintance. He fled in a car while firing shots out the back window toward pursuing officers, police said.
Atkins eventually crashed the car and fled into the Trader Joe’s, where a three-hour standoff ensued.
Developing story – more to come
