KTLA

Man charged with actions leading to death at Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake found competent to stand trial

Gene Atkins appears during a hearing at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 7, 2018. (KTLA)

A man accused of engaging in a gun battle with police that led to the accidental death of an assistant manager at a Trader Joe’s market in Silver Lake has been found competent to stand trial.

Gene Evin Atkins, 31, has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to murder in the July 2018 killing of Melyda Corado.

The bullet that killed Corado, 27, was discharged by Los Angeles police officers, who shot at Atkins as he fled into the store after a car chase. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to bring charges against the officers.

Officers had been chasing Atkins across the city, and he had fired on them numerous times during the pursuit, which police said began after he shot his grandmother.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.