The city of Los Angeles has reached a $9.5 million settlement with the family of a woman who died in a 2018 police shootout with a gunman.
During the shootout, Melyda Corado, 27, tragically lost her life in the crossfire.
The family of a woman who was shot and killed by police during a shootout with a gunman at a grocery store in 2018 has received a $9.5 million settlement from the City of Los Angeles, attorneys for the family announced Friday.
On July 21, 2018, at a Trader Joe's in Silver Lake, Melyda Corado, 27, was working as an assistant manager when a gunman being pursued by police got into a shootout with officers while entering the store.
Corado was killed in the crossfire during the shootout, according to police.
Gene Evin Atkins, the accused gunman, had been charged with shooting his grandmother, kidnapping his girlfriend, and attempting to evade law enforcement officers during a high-speed chase.
He took dozens of people hostage in the store before later surrendering.
In November 2018, a lawsuit was filed by Corado's father and brother, accusing civil rights violations and wrongful death.
If the officers had adhered to their training during the confrontation with the assailant, Corado's death could have been avoided, according to Neil Gehlawat, an attorney representing her family.
Gehlawat stated that officers must consider the risks to bystanders when using deadly force, but the officers in question did not take this into account.
The Los Angeles Police Commission concluded that the officer who shot and killed Corado did not breach departmental policy. The commission stated in a report that the officers' actions were justified as they believed the gunman posed an immediate threat of harm or death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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