Gene Evin Atkins has been sentenced to more than 200 years to life in prison over a 2018 crime spree that ended in a gunfight with Los Angeles police outside a Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake.
Atkins, 36, was convicted on 41 counts linked to the events of July 21, 2018, including second-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a firearm and false imprisonment.
The case centred on the death of Melyda “Mely” Maricela Corado, a 27-year-old assistant manager at the store. She was fatally struck by a bullet fired by an LAPD officer during the exchange of gunfire, but prosecutors argued that Atkins was legally responsible because his actions provoked the confrontation.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the incident began in South Los Angeles, where Atkins shot his grandmother and a teenage girl before fleeing in his grandmother’s vehicle. He later led police on a pursuit and attempted to carjack another person at a petrol station.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed into a utility pole near the Silver Lake Trader Joe’s. Atkins then ran towards the store while firing at police, before barricading himself inside with dozens of employees and customers.
The standoff lasted for more than three hours. Atkins eventually surrendered at about 6.30pm, after police and the gunman had exchanged fire outside the shop.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Atkins had tried to kill innocent people, engaged officers in a gun battle and held shoppers hostage, actions which led to Corado’s death.
Atkins was acquitted of first-degree murder during his first trial, while jurors could not reach a verdict on the second-degree murder charge. A second jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in August, paving the way for Wednesday’s sentence.
