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Mourners Mark One-Year Anniversary Of Fatal Shooting Of Trader Joe's Manager
A memorial painting at the Trader Joe's store in Silver Lake pays tribute to Melyda Corado, an assistant manager killed when police traded gunfire with a suspected kidnapper on July 21, 2018.,
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Jessica Flores/KPCC
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Mourners Mark One-Year Anniversary Of Fatal Shooting Of Trader Joe's Manager
Friends, family, and co-workers turned out Sunday to pay tribute to Melyda Corado, an assistant manager at Trader Joe's who was fatally shot during a police standoff outside the chain's Silver Lake store a year ago.
Corado was an innocent bystander during a standoff between officers and 28-year-old Gene Evins Atkins on July 21, 2018. Atkins had been engaged in a police chase following allegations that he shot his grandmother, then kidnapped a 17-year-old acquaintance. He then led police from South Los Angeles to Silver Lake, where he crashed his car into a pole near the Trader Joe's.
Atkins proceeded to take cover inside the market, firing at officers as he ran towards the doors.
It was at that time that officers, later identified as Sinlen Tse and Sarah Winans of Hollywood Patrol Division, fired their weapons in Atkins' direction, and fatally struck Corado in the process. Corado had reportedly walked to the front of the store after hearing the crash.
Corado's father, Salvador, filed suit against the city alleging officers were negligent and used excessive force.
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