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Gene Atkins is being held on a $2-million bail on suspicion of
murder for Saturday's attacks, said Los Angeles Police
Department spokesman Drake Madison.
Atkins is likely to appear in court to be formally charged early
this coming week, Madison added.
Atkins is suspected of repeatedly having shot his grandmother
and another woman in a separate part of the city before being
chased by police and crashing his car outside the Trader Joe's,
according to the police account. He exchanged gunfire with
police and entered the crowded store, police said.
Some people managed to escape the store by climbing through a
window down a rope ladder, according to video footage. The
stand-off came to an end after the gunman, who at one point was
shot in the arm, talked with police over the phone to negotiate
a surrender before emerging.
The woman killed at the store was identified as Melyda Corado by
relatives, who said she worked there as a manager.
Trader Joe's called the attack the "saddest day in Trader Joe's
history" in a statement on its website, saying the store would
remain closed indefinitely.
"Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and
customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable
ordeal," the statement said.
Atkin's grandmother was left in critical condition in the
earlier attack on Saturday, police said. There was no update on
her condition on Sunday, they said.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Sandra
Maler)
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