Gene Atkins was retried on the murder count; faces life in prison for shootout with Los Angeles police
August 19, 2026 – LOS ANGELES, CA – A 36-year-old man was found guilty on Tuesday for murder in connection with 
the 2018 fatal shooting of a Trader Joe’s manager during a shootout with police where he held shoppers hostage inside the store for more than three hours.
“This defendant tried to kill two innocent people, engaged in a gun battle with police and held dozens of terrified people hostage, all of which led to the tragic death of Melyda Corado,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Melyda would still be alive if not for the defendant’s deadly and reckless actions.”
Jurors deliberated for less than a day before finding Gene Evin Atkins (36) guilty of one count of second-degree murder. Atkins was being retried on the murder count after a separate jury deadlocked on guilt.
In June, Atkins was convicted of three counts of attempted murder, six counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, 24 counts of false imprisonment of a hostage, two counts each of attempted carjacking and mayhem and one count each of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, fleeing a pursing peace officer’s vehicle and driving or taking a vehicle without consent.
Atkins faces life in prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced on August 24.
On July 21, 2018, Atkins got into an argument with his grandmother and opened fire, striking her and his girlfriend. He then fled in a vehicle and led police on a pursuit. At one point, Atkins tried to carjack an individual at a gas station but was unsuccessful.
The pursuit continued until Atkins got into a collision and hit a utility pole near a Trader Joe’s store in Silver Lake. He ran into the store, firing a weapon at police.
As police and Atkins traded gunfire, Corado, 27, was fatally shot.
The standoff lasted more than three hours as Atkins held more than two dozen shoppers hostage before he was arrested.
Case BA469832 was prosecuted by Benjamin Schwartz of the Major Crimes Division and Ani Bailey of the Target Crimes Division and was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Source: Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
