Grocery shopping on a Saturday afternoon is usually a busy and stressful time, bu no-one shopping at an Los Angeles Trader Joe’s was prepared for what happened over the weekend. A gunman entered the store, where he held several people hostage. Over the course of several hours, one woman was shot and killed before the gunman was arrested by the police.
While investigations are still underway, it appears that the gunman is a 28-year old male, named Gene Evin Atkins.
Before arriving at Trader Joe’s, he had already shot one woman before storming into Trader Joe’s. According to reports, the gunman is believed to have shot his grandmother several times.
The gunman injured another woman, who has not yet been identified, before kidnapping her and taking her with him in his car as he made his way to a Trader Joe’s store in the Silver Lake neighborhood.
The police pursued him as he made his way to the grocery store. Once there, he ran into Trader Joe’s, where up to 40 individuals were shopping.
He started holding customers hostage in a three-hour standoff with police. During this time, one woman was shot and killed during the attack.
Some customers escaped from store windows before the gunman asked police to handcuff and arrest him. As of Sunday morning, he has been charged with murder. However, additional charges are likely, according to the L.A. Police Department.
He is currently being held in custody on a $2 million bail.
