Shootout in Silver Lake leaves 1 dead
Worker at Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake is killed as officers confront suspected shooter in violent family dispute.
A woman is killed at a Trader Joe’s as police battle gunman linked to attack on two others at a home in South L.A.
The man who sparked a fierce gun battle and a long standoff with police at a Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake surrendered early Saturday evening after his rampage left one woman dead and at least two wounded.
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the death during a televised news conference, saying the woman was pulled out of the store by authorities and declared dead at the scene.
Family members later identified the dead woman as Melyda Corado, according to ABC News. She was the store manager, a law enforcement source said.
The ordeal began as a family dispute in South Los Angeles involving the still unidentified man, 28, who shot his grandmother at least seven times and injured another woman, police said.
The gunman dragged the second woman into his grandmother’s Toyota Camry and fled.
Police found the car in Hollywood using transmissions from its anti-theft device, and a chase ensued. The gunman blew out his own rear window while firing at police, officials said. The pursuit ended with the Camry crashing into a light post outside the Trader Joe’s.
The gunman exchanged fire with police and was struck in his left arm before running inside the store, police said.
Corado was shot by the gunman inside the store, police later confirmed.
About 40 to 50 others were trapped inside, and a three-hour hostage negotiation ensued. During that time, the gunman allowed some people to leave while others sneaked out. Some crawled out of windows.
During the standoff, the Los Angeles Fire Department sent 18 ambulances and 100 firefighters to the scene, expecting the worst.
A family reunification center was established at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast station.
The man’s grandmother was in critical condition after undergoing surgery, Police Chief Michel Moore said.
The second woman suffered a relatively minor head wound and was in good condition, he said.
Several shoppers on social media described a terrifying scene of gunfire, people running for cover and hiding as the gunman ran into the store.
One shopper said she was outside when the pursuit ended. She sought cover behind a wall as the man opened fire.
Don Kohles was outside when he saw the end of the pursuit. He heard two shots and ducked into the exit door. He looked back at the street and saw two police officers shooting at the man.
“The bullets were flying everywhere through the front of the store and across the parking lot,” he said.
The gunfire shattered the glass doors, he said, and the gunman ran into the store and “down the middle aisle.”
A woman at the Gelson’s supermarket across the street said everyone dove to the floor upon hearing the gunfire. She said store employees eventually let shoppers out.
Elias Cueva, who works at Gelson’s, was outside on his lunch break and saw the police chase.
“The tire exploded. When he couldn’t move the car, the police shot at him. I dove onto the floor,” he said.
Inside the Gelson’s, employees thought the shooter was outside.
“Right when we heard the gunshots, we went down. We thought the shooter was in our parking lot shooting at us,” Avo Kegeyan said.
As the standoff wore on, about 30 people gathered at police lines on Monon Street. There was hushed conversation and sharing of details mainly gleaned from news reports. Some were residents of homes beyond the barricades, prohibited from returning until the situation was resolved.
Retiree Robert Novak, who lives three doors from the Trader Joe’s, said he hoped no one had been shot.
“It’s always the busiest store in the neighborhood — especially on the weekends,” he said.
Many said they visited the store so often that they had become friends with the employees.
“We know all the people who work there. We’ve had them over. We’ve hung out with them,” said Anna Williams, who lives on Monon.
“It’s the equivalent of your local bodega in New York,” said Jessica Passoff, who lives on Rowena Avenue. “You stop there for everything.”
The situation paralyzed the trendy, normally humming commercial district in Silver Lake. Restaurants, bars and shops along Hyperion Avenue went dark — either ordered on lockdown by police or closed by worried employees.
On some side streets near Trader Joe’s, people who tried to leave their apartments were greeted with police bullhorns.
“Return to your home! Get off the sidewalk,” officers said.
Suzy Gonzalez of Echo Park was preparing to turn into Trader Joe’s parking lot for her weekly shopping trip when officers waved her off.
She saw the crashed car and thought there had been an accident, but then noticed a line of 25 police vehicles streaming into the area.
“It almost looked like a funeral procession,” she said.
Police had closed off a large swath of Silver Lake around Hyperion and Griffith Park Boulevard.
Officials urged the public to avoid the area. The investigation was likely to continue well into Sunday morning, Garcetti said.