Trader Joe's shooting: Store employee Mely Corado remembered 1 year later
SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Family and friends came together Sunday to mark the heartbreaking anniversary of the death of Mely Corado, the Trader Joe's employee caught in the crossfire of a police shootout in Silver Lake.
Corado, 27, was killed on July 21, 2018 when a suspect fled police and ended up in a standoff and shootout at the store. The assistant store manager was struck by a Los Angeles Police Department officer's bullet.
Family, friends and coworkers got together to pay tribute to Corado.
"A year ago we all woke up thinking it would be a normal day," reflected her brother, Albert Corado. Jr. "A year ago Mely woke up, she went to work and she never made it back home."
They remembered her as a kind, well-liked friend and coworker and said the tragic incident remains fresh in their minds a year later.
"It's no secret how we lost Mely," said one friend. "And I play that day over and over again in my head on a daily basis. Every time I think about it, I'm enraged all over again."
The Los Angeles Police Commission ruled that the officers acted within policy during the incident, returning fire at an armed suspect.
Her family says the officers did not need to use lethal force and are now suing the city for her death .
"I cannot bring her home," said Mely's father, Albert Corado Sr. "But one thing I can do is I can fight for Mely and give Mely the justice she deserves."
After the service at the Silver Lake Community church, a candlelight vigil was scheduled, with attendees walking to the Trader Joe's on Hyperion Avenue.
