Costco shooting

[Emptymag]

So there wasn't an altercation, one guy bumped into the cop, cop falls down and starts shooting? Yup, that's the type of cop we need. How did he assess the situation that he needed to deploy lethal force?

I didn't realize that's all that happened. I guess you've given your witness statements to the police already then?

Seriously. Nothing but conclusions drawn by imaginary scenarios in this thread. As always.

[internet troll]

Daily update

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...619-story.html
Costco shooting: Wildly different stories emerge of deadly encounter in food line

By Richard Winton and Hannah Fry

Costco shooting: Wildly different stories emerge of deadly encounter in food line
A shooting inside a Costco in Corona left one person dead and two others wounded. (Patrick Smith / For The Times)
More details are emerging about what happened in the food-tasting line at a Costco in Corona on Friday night, prompting an off-duty LAPD officer to open fire, killing one man and injuring his parents.

The incident is under investigation by the Corona and Los Angeles police departments, and officials say video from the store may help illuminate what happened.

The officer, who was identified by multiple sources as Salvador Sanchez, a patrol officer in the Southwest Division, was holding his young son in the line when some kind of altercation occurred.

Both sides agree the man who was fatally shot, Kenneth French, pushed the officer. Family members say French had an intellectual disability.

But already, dueling narratives are emerging.

The LAPD officer’s view

The officer’s attorney, David Winslow, said his client was getting a food sample for his son when he was attacked and briefly knocked out by French.

“He was shopping with his wife and 1½-year-old at Costco. His son was in his arms, and he was feeding his son some samples when, within seconds, he was on the ground and woke up from being unconscious and he was fighting for his life,” Winslow said.

Corona police said the assault, which was captured on Costco security cameras, was unprovoked and led the officer to fire his 9-millimeter pistol.

The officer did not know of French’s disability at the time, according to a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The officer, who has not been officially identified, suffered minor injuries.

The French family’s view

Civil rights attorney Dale K. Galipo is representing the French family. He said it was unclear why Kenneth French pushed the officer in the food sample line.

Before the officer fired his gun, there was a gap in time when he declared he was a police officer and French’s father stepped between the two men. Galipo said the security video showed that interaction.

“His father was trying to intervene,” Galipo said.

French is normally calm, but he had had a recent change in medication that might have affected his behavior, Galipo said. The attorney said French was “nonverbal.”

Galipo said that the officer’s life was not threatened and that he instead acted out of anger because someone had pushed him.

“The shooting was excessive and completely unjustified,” Galipo said, noting that French was unarmed.

Corona police are in the middle of a criminal investigation, while the LAPD is looking at the case in terms of use of force by an officer.

Corona Police Chief George Johnstone said in a video statement released Tuesday that his detectives would continue to interview witnesses and evaluate video and forensic evidence from the store.

“For several reasons, including the need to interview a number of witnesses and review evidence, no arrest was made at the time of the incident,” Johnstone said, noting the chaotic scene.

Galipo said the mother is still in critical condition and the father is in serious condition. Neither, the attorney said, is well enough to talk to investigators.

Johnstone said his department’s investigation had been hindered by not being able to interview everyone involved. It was unclear to whom he was referring.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore briefly addressed the shooting in front of the Police Commission on Tuesday, telling the panel, “There’s many more questions than answers at this point.”

“I’ll wait for the full investigation before commenting on the officer’s decision to use deadly force,” Moore said. “The use of deadly force, whether on- or off-duty, is a matter that is the most scrutinized decision that we have in this organization, and in this instance, it will be as well.”

[Delkal]

OK so everyone now agrees the big retarded guy pushed the cop down. Probably from behind when the cop was standing in his way while feeding the kid (move out of the way once you get your free sample).

But I still think the cop is going down based on the two sides of the story.

“He was shopping with his wife and 1½-year-old at Costco. His son was in his arms, and he was feeding his son some samples when, within seconds, he was on the ground and woke up from being unconscious and he was fighting for his life,” Winslow said.

Before the officer fired his gun, there was a gap in time when he declared he was a police officer and French’s father stepped between the two men. Galipo said the security video showed that interaction.

“His father was trying to intervene,” Galipo said.

Galipo said that the officer’s life was not threatened and that he instead acted out of anger because someone had pushed him.

“The shooting was excessive and completely unjustified,” Galipo said, noting that French was unarmed.

This cop did not just regain consciousness and instantly start fighting for his life protecting his family. He got up and started arguing (witnesses agree there was an argument). He was not being assaulted by the dad before he started blasting. At his point I don't know why he has not been arrested yet. Any of us would be in jail with a very high bail.

[internet troll]

https://kfiam640.iheart.com/content/...stco-shooting/
LAPD Confirms Identity Of Officer In Corona Costco Shooting

CORONA (CNS) - Los Angeles police today confirmed the identity of an off-duty officer who shot and killed a special needs man and critically wounded his parents after an unprovoked attack in a Corona Costco store.

Salvador Sanchez, a Southwest Division patrol officer, is now on administrative leave, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Tony Im.

Sanchez has been with the department since May 2012, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first published the involved officer's name.

Conflicting stories have emerged over the circumstances that led to the fatal shooting, with the dead man's relatives calling for the lawman's arrest, and the officer's attorney insisting his client acted in self-defense.

The shooting occurred at 7:46 p.m. Friday inside the store at 480 N. McKinley St. Witnesses said they heard an argument in the freezer section of the store, followed by gunfire.

Kenneth French, 32, was killed in the shooting and his parents, Russell and Paola French, were wounded. Kenneth French was described by his family as non-verbal and intellectually disabled.

According to the French family's attorney, Dale K. Galipo, Paola French remains in critical condition and in a coma, while Russell French's condition is improving.

Corona police said after the shooting the off-duty officer was shopping at Costco with his family, holding his child in his arms, when, “without provocation, a male unknown to the officer's family assaulted the officer.”

According to the officer's attorney, David Winslow, the officer briefly lost consciousness, and when he awoke, he was on the ground and his 18- month-old son was next to him screaming. Winslow said the officer “had no choice but to use deadly force.”

Galipo told reporters in various interviews that French -- having recently been taken off his medications due to health reasons -- pushed or shoved the officer in the back in a food-sample line, but he denied that there was any deadly threat to the officer. He also said French's father tried to explain to the officer that his son was intellectually disabled.

The resulting shooting “was a complete overreaction on behalf of this police officer,” Galipo told NBC4.

Galipo said in a statement earlier Tuesday the family believes the shooting “was excessive and completely unjustified because Mr. French was unarmed and posed no immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to anyone.”

The attorney said it was also disturbing that “if anyone other than an off-duty police officer had shot three unarmed civilians in a Costco, that person would be in jail and facing criminal charges for murder.”

“There seems to be unequal treatment of police officers compared to other citizens when deadly force is used, causing death or serious bodily injury, which is a great concern to many members of the community,” Galipo said.

Winslow, however, disputed the description of French's actions as a push or shove.

“This was not an accidental bump,” Winslow told NBC4. “This was a violent attack that knocked him (the officer) to the floor.”

Winslow declined to go into detail about the threat perceived by the officer when he came to, other than to say the “assailant and the actions of the assailant led him to believe he was still in deadly harm.”

The officer's son was not injured and Sanchez suffered minor injuries.

Rick Shureih, a cousin of Kenneth French, wrote on Facebook Monday that the officer should be arrested.

“Our family has witness accounts that do not match up to the original story,” he wrote. “We are a pro-police family. I have many friends in law enforcement. We need justice to prevail! Please review the surveillance tape!”

On Sunday, Shureih posted on Facebook a picture of French and his parents standing outside Universal Studios Hollywood, and wrote: “I'm not keeping quiet about this! People need to know! This is my family! These are the victims of the Costco shooting the other night. My cousin Kenneth was killed and his parents, my aunt & uncle were also both shot and are in ICU. Do they look intimidating to you? Did he really have to shoot them all? I'm posting this picture because the stories on social media have made them out to be the suspects, and the off-duty cop the victim.

“This is a family that was unarmed and was just grocery shopping. Truth will come out! I'm sure this was a misunderstanding that got escalated for no reason! If anyone was a witness please get in contact with us.”

A GoFundMe page has been established to help with the French family's expenses. The page notes that the family was shopping at Costco to prepare for a Father's Day barbecue at their home.

The Corona Police Department is working with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office in its investigation of the shooting. The LAPD, meanwhile, is conducting its own administrative investigation, in conjunction with Corona police, according to the department. Such administrative investigations, which can often take months, ultimately land in front of the Police Commission to determine if the officer acted within department policy.

Speaking to the commission Tuesday morning, Moore declined to provide any more details of the shooting, citing only media reports.

“There are many more questions than answers at this point, and I'll wait for the full investigation (to be completed) before commenting on the officer's decision to use deadly force,” Moore said. “However, I will say at this point that my heart goes out to the parents of Mr. French, and I pray for their recovery.”

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has information about it was asked to contact Corona police Lt. Robert Newman at 951-817-5788 or via email at Robert.NewmanCoronaCA.gov.

[icp4life162005]

OK so everyone now agrees the big retarded guy pushed the cop down. Probably from behind when the cop was standing in his way while feeding the kid (move out of the way once you get your free sample).

But I still think the cop is going down based on the two sides of the story.





This cop did not just regain consciousness and instantly start fighting for his life protecting his family. He got up and started arguing (witnesses agree there was an argument). He was not being assaulted by the dad before he started blasting. At his point I don't know why he has not been arrested yet. Any of us would be in jail with a very high bail.

Post #28 answers that.

[Emptymag]

The more the "stories" get reprinted, the more we see that it's the same two versions as presented by the deceased's attourney (worthless info) and by the police. (more worthless info)

Very few facts are being presented by any of the "news" sources. I guess that's what the trial is for.

[unclejumbo]

What's most telling to me is that the defense keeps hedging more toward the son having no issues until recently.

It sounds like it may be similar to the Michael Drejka/Markeis McGlockton case.

[Emptymag]

Or that's a convenient "excuse" for inappropriate behavior.
"Oh, he was NEVER like this before!"

Could be true. Could be bullshit.

[internet troll]

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019...urt-documents/

First article I’ve seen in weeks on this. Not much new other than the video will not be released for up to a year. Also the officer is referred to as “a suspect” in the report.

Off-Duty LAPD Officer Who Fatally Shot Man In Corona Costco Described As Suspect In Court Documents
CORONA (CBSLA) — The off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer who said he fired his gun in self-defense in a June shooting at a Corona Costco that killed one man and seriously injured his parents is described as a suspect in court documents obtained by CBS2.

The June 14 shooting left a mentally disabled man dead and his parents in critical condition. Seven weeks after investigators said an off-duty LAPD officer shot them, LAPD has revealed that a Riverside County Superior Judge recently ordered law enforcement not to release the video evidence to the public for one year from the date of the shooting. The court order further stated that the video may be released at the conclusion of the criminal investigation if no charges were filed or at the conclusion of the prosecution if a criminal case was filed.

The court order supersedes LAPD policy on releasing footage.

“LAPD’s video release policy requires the department to release relevant video footage from all officer involved shootings, significant uses of force and in-custody deaths within 45 days of an incident,” Josh Rubenstein, LAPD spokesperson said in a video statement.

Rubenstein said that since Officer Salvador Sanchez was off-duty and outside of the jurisdiction of the LAPD, the department will only be conducting an administrative investigation, which will not measure the tactics he used but will measure his use of deadly force.

“The board will evaluate the evidence to determine whether the officer’s drawing and exhibiting of a weapon and use of deadly force in this instance met the high standards of all LAPD officers,” Rubenstein said.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said it sought the court order because it didn’t want to taint the recollection of witnesses as to what happened that day by making the video public.

“I don’t think releasing the video to the public is going to really help anybody other than satisfying people’s curiosity,” David Winslow, Sanchez’s attorney said.

Winslow said he hasn’t seen the video, but that it should show Sanchez was knocked unconscious while holding his young child and had no other option but to shoot and kill Kenneth French.

But members of the French family think the video will show the opposite and that the officer had plenty of other options — they say the court order gave them hope.

“The court finds that due to the graphic nature of the video and the significant public attention on the shooting, the release of the video prior to the conclusion of the criminal investigation reasonably could result in harm to the suspect, who is out of custody, and could interfere with the integrity of the jury trial process in any potential subsequent prosecution,” the court order stated.

The French family said that was the first time they had heard Sanchez referred to as a suspect.

[internet troll]

The latest. Both of the parents lived.

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...-french-family

Costco shooting: Family of man killed describes begging officer not to shoot
At an emotional news conference Monday, the parents of a man with schizophrenia who was shot and killed by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer at a Costco in Corona described begging the officer not to open fire after he pulled out his gun and identified himself as police.

Kenneth French, 32, was killed in the shooting on June 14. His parents, Paola and Russell French, were severely injured.

“I was pleading for our son and our lives, but was still shot in the back. What threat did I pose to him?” Paola French said.

Paola French
"I was pleading for our son and our lives, but was still shot in the back," Paola French said of the killing at Costco.
Advertisement

The bullet went through her back and exited her stomach, said civil rights attorney Dale K. Galipo, who is representing the family. The shooting left her in a coma for a prolonged period of time. She has had seven surgeries and is scheduled for more.

“After hearing Officer [Salvador] Sanchez identify himself as a police officer, I begged and told him not to shoot,” Russell French said. “I said, ‘We have no guns, and my son is sick.’ He still shot. I thought people don’t do that.”

Russell was shot in the abdomen and has also had multiple surgeries, including one to remove his kidney, according to a legal claim filed on behalf of the family. Both he and his wife now require extensive home healthcare, the claim states.

The claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit, names the city of Los Angeles, the LAPD and the officer, Salvador Sanchez.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said the agency would review the claim, and had no further comment. A spokesman for the LAPD declined to comment.

Two different accounts of the shooting have emerged.

Galipo provided a detailed description of what the family believes happened inside the store. They have not been able to see surveillance video of the incident, but Galipo said he has spoken to people who have seen it. He has also seen a cellphone video that appears to have been taken in the aftermath of the shooting, Galipo said.

Corona Costco
Costco customers are led out of the store after the June 14 shooting in Corona.
(Patrick Smith / For The Times)
The family was at Costco shopping for Father’s Day and had been there for about 30 or 40 minutes when they stopped at a stand for sausage samples, Galipo said. At some point, Kenneth got into a physical altercation with the police officer, who was holding a child. Paola French has said she believed that Kenneth French pushed or shoved the officer, Galipo said. Other witnesses have described Kenneth punching the officer.

Galipo said he does not believe the officer lost consciousness, though some witnesses have said he may have been knocked to the ground.

“We believe he was not knocked unconscious,” Galipo said. “All of his actions, putting the baby down…saying he’s a police officer [are] not the actions of someone who was knocked unconscious.”

When the man identified himself as a police officer, the parents began pleading with him not to shoot.

“Despite their pleas for him not to shoot he fired multiple rounds,” Galipo said.

Kenneth French’s schizophrenia left him unable to verbally communicate, and his injuries included shots to his back, Galipo said.

Though Sanchez was off-duty, the claim contends that he was acting as an LAPD officer because he identified himself as an officer just before the shooting and discharged the shots from his department-issued weapon. The French family posed no threat of serious injury or death to the officer, and he failed to warn them before using deadly force, the claim states.

“I would say there’s evidence to support murder in this case,” Galipo said.

French family
Russell French, left, was also shot by the LAPD officer.
An attorney for Sanchez said that his client was attacked from behind and acted under a “reasonable belief” that he was being assaulted and that his life was at risk.

“This wasn’t a little push — this was a severe assault,” Ira Salzman said Monday. “My client suffered a concussion.”

He said Sanchez was also acting out of fear for his own young son, who he was holding at the time of the altercation.

“It’s just a terrible tragedy that we have two sets of well-meaning, good parents who were trying to help their children,” Salzman said. “My client acted in self-defense and this was a sad, tragic result, but he did not commit any crime, nor did he do anything to merit an award of civil damage.”

The Riverside County district attorney’s office, which received the case from Corona police in late June, is reviewing whether to criminally charge the officer. The LAPD is conducting an administrative review.

Though parts of the incident were captured by Costco security cameras, the videos have not been made public.

After The Times requested a copy of the surveillance footage, prosecutors sought a court order to prevent its release, and a judge complied. Police are now barred from releasing the footage for one year from the date of the shooting.

Kenneth French’s funeral, which was postponed until both his parents were released from the hospital, is scheduled for Friday