Family Of Woman Killed In Trader Joe's Gunfight Asks New DA To Review Case
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The family of a woman killed during a gunfight between Los Angeles Police Department officers and a suspect outside of a Silver Lake Trader Joe's in 2018 said Friday they wanted L.A. County's new district attorney to review the case.
Albert Corado, father of Melyda "Mely" Corado, urged District Attorney George Gascón to "please step up to the plate" and re-evaluate the assessment done by the office when former District Attorney Jackie Lacey was still in office.
That assessment, dated Nov. 30, found that officers Sinlen Tse and Sarah Winans were "justified in using deadly force in an attempt to stop" the suspect, Gene Evin Atkins. Atkins was shot in the left elbow as he ran into the store after prosecutors said he crashed an allegedly stolen vehicle and opened fire on police.
"The fact that Corado was struck accidentally by Tse's gunfire is tragic, however, it does not negate the lawfulness of the officers' actions in using deadly force to stop a dangerous fleeing felon," the report stated.
Corado's brother called the decision "a parting gift from Jackie Lacey — the last thing before she left office."
A spokesperson for Gascón said the office "plans to establish a review process for families whose loved ones were killed by law enforcement." Though, the spokesperson noted, the evidence in this case had not yet been reviewed by the new administration.