Update: Melyda Corado, 27, manager of the Silver Lake Trader Joe’s, was identified by her brother Albert Corado as the woman who was killed. Albert Corado first tweeted that his sister worked at the Trader Joe’s and that the family could not contact her, but later confirmed she was the shooting victim.
“I’m sad to say she didn’t make it,” his final tweet said. “My baby sister. My world.’ ‘
He thanked people for “the retweets and the love,” adding “Please respect my family’s privacy as we are still coming to terms with this.”
Several news organizations, including CNN and ABC7, ran a Facebook photo of “Mely” Corado.
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A woman was killed Saturday during a tense, three-hour hostage situation in a Trader Joe’s store in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles that began with a car chase and gun battle, and ended with a wounded suspect handcuffing himself and surrendering to police, authorities said.
The 28-year-old suspect opened fire on police during a pursuit before 4 p.m. that began when they found him in a stolen Toyota Camry in Hollywood, police said. He crashed the vehicle into a pole outside the Trader Joe’s on Hyperion Avenue near Griffith Park Boulevard and engaged in another gun battle before running in the store.
Hours earlier, the man shot his grandmother as many as seven times in South Los Angeles and dragged an injured woman into his grandmother’s Camry before fleeing, Police Chief Michel Moore said at a 7 p.m. news conference. The suspect’s name was not immediately released.
About a half-hour earlier, the suspect was seen walking out of the store in handcuffs with a group of hostages. The suspect asked police for the handcuffs, put them on himself and surrendered, Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
He had been on a cellphone with crisis negotiators throughout the ordeal, Moore said, adding about 40 people were believed to be in the store when the suspect entered.
The destructive and tragic consequences one person can inflict are at the forefront of our minds tonight, as is the valor & dedication of our men & women who strived to protect so many innocent people-Our thoughts, prayers & hearts are with all effected by this senseless incident pic.twitter.com/NFXrM52tm3
— Michel R. Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) July 22, 2018
The suspect at #SilverLake #TraderJoes is in #LAPD custody. Thank you to @LAPDHQ and all of our first responders for their bravery and swift action to resolve this incident.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 22, 2018
Police late Saturday said the crime scene was still being processed and a stretch of Hyperion Avenue would remain closed until noon Sunday.
Shoppers inside, some of whom hid and barricaded themselves from the suspect, shared their accounts on social media.
https://twitter.com/thatdevinfield/status/1020805905237958657
Over the course of the standoff, police and SWAT officers helped some customers escape down ladders from windows and could be seen carrying children to safety.
#Breaking: Now watching people climb out the window at Trader Joe’s in #Silverlake. Heartbreaking. #cbsla @cbsla pic.twitter.com/s1BXwGcJZ3
— Peter Daut (@PeterDaut) July 21, 2018
“The heroism that was shown today was second to none and the teams that were able to respond, secure the permiter and enagge in conversation with the suspect no doubt saved lives today,” Garcetti said.
Authorities did not release the name of the woman who was killed in the Trader Joe’s, pending notification of family. It was unclear how she was fatally shot.
Moore said the suspect’s grandmother was taken to a hospital, where she underwent “a series of surgeries and she’s in critical condition last we checked.”
The woman the suspect shot and kidnapped, whom police earlier identified as his girlfriend, was removed from Camry and taken to a hospital in fair condition, authorities said.
No police officers were injured and the gunman was being treated by firefighters for a gunshot wound to his left arm, Garcetti said.
Firefighters evaluated 10 patients. The woman killed inside the store was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hostages were reuniting with their loved ones at the LAPD Northeast Station. Counselors were made available to the hostages.
#LAPD Family reunification location for family members affected by the Officer Involved Shooting is at LAPD Northeast Station, 3353 N. San Fernando RD. 323-561-3211
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018
Police said the first shooting happened when the suspect got into a family dispute around 1:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of East 32nd Street in South Los Angeles.
After shooting his grandmother, the suspect then took her car and fled the shooting with his injured girlfriend inside, said Sgt. Barry Montgomery.
Officers found the Camry later in Hollywood using LoJack technology, police said. They tried to pull the vehicle over, then the suspect took off.
“He fired at police officers out the back of his car window,” Garcetti said.
At least one officer is believed to have returned fire, said LAPD Officer Mike Lopez.
President Donald Trump had tweeted about the incident, saying: “Watching Los Angeles possible hostage situation very closely. Active barricaded suspect. L.A.P.D. working with Federal Law Enforcement.”
Don Kohles, 91, was walking into the supermarket when he saw a car being chased by police crash into a pole just outside. Police fired at the driver, shattering the store’s glass doors and Kohles and others inside took cover and laid on the floor as the suspect ran into the store, he said.
He could hear others around him sobbing as the man ran toward the back of the store and yelled at people, but Kohles said he never heard any more gunshots. After about 30 minutes, police came inside and rushed some of the customers out, he said.
Officers rescued a group of children after an armed suspect opened fire and barricaded himself inside a Trader Joe’s in the Hollywood area. Live updates: https://t.co/tbjgPmD5iq pic.twitter.com/873SgyQwsj
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 21, 2018
Police pulled a woman from the car that led police on a chase starting in the Hollywood area. The driver barricaded himself inside a Trader Joes’ in Silver Lake, with multiple shots being fired at the scene. Live updates: https://t.co/TxoO6jcdJA pic.twitter.com/4AXtmh735B
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 21, 2018