The Los Angeles Police Department released more video Tuesday of a July shooting that left an assistant manager dead at a Trader Joe’s store in Silver Lake.
The video begins with 911 calls to the LAPD reporting a shooting in South Los Angeles. Gene Atkins, 28, had allegedly shot his grandmother and another woman in South Los Angeles, then took off in a car with a woman inside.
Authorities activated the car’s LoJack system, allowing an LAPD helicopter to locate the vehicle and notify Hollywood Division officers.
At one point, the video shows glass shattering from Atkins’ vehicle as officers are in pursuit.
Audio from the patrol vehicle directly behind Atkins picked up one officer shouting, “Oh s—. Shots fired.”
The pursuing officer immediately dropped back to get a safer distance from Atkins’ vehicle.
Not long after shots were fired, Atkins crashes in front of the Trader Joe’s store in the 2700 block of Hyperion Avenue and jumps out of the car.
As he was running into the store, police say Atkins continued shooting at officers, who got out of their patrol vehicle and started shooting.
At one point, body camera video showed officers ducking behind a short wall as the sound of a bullet hitting a metal pole rings nearby.
During the shootout, Atkins was struck in the arm.
A bullet from an officer’s gun also struck Trader Joe’s assistant manager Melyda Corado in the head.
Atkins barricaded himself inside the store with several hostages as Corado lay wounded inside.
She was eventually brought out of the store by some of the hostages and then carried to a nearby ambulance by officers.
She was pronounced dead in the ambulance, according to police.
Atkins then apparently requested handcuffs be delivered to the store, put them on, and surrendered to officers.
He is facing several charges, including murder — in the death of Corado — attempted murder, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
The investigation is expected to take several more months before officials can determine “whether the officers tactics and use of force met the high standards expected of all LAPD officers,” the video stated.
Corado’s family is expected to speak for the first time following her death at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“The LAPD has again released footage that has been edited and highly-produced in order to carefully narrate their ‘story’ of the events that led to Mely’s death,” one of the family’s attorney’s said in a statement released prior to the news conference.
The LAPD was not planning to hold a news conference to discuss the video, a Police Department spokesperson said.
