FRIENDLY FIRE

LAPD: Trader Joe’s Employee Was Killed by Police Bullet

After officers returned fire during the hours-long standoff with gunman.

The Trader Joe’s employee killed Saturday in Southern California during an hours-long standoff died after being struck by a police bullet, Los Angeles Chief of Police Michel Moore announced Tuesday morning. Moore apologized to the family of the slain employee, 27-year-old Melyda Corado, during a press conference, noting that “I believe it’s what [police] needed to do in order to defend the people of Los Angeles.” The suspect, ABC News notes, allegedly killed both his grandmother and a teenage girl before crashing a car outside the Silverlake Trader Joe’s and fleeing inside. He then shot at police, who returned fire and accidentally struck Corado. “I am sorry for the loss, this tragic loss,” the chief added.