Trader Joe's Shooting: Victim Identified as Store Manager

An hours-long standoff ended in a Los Angeles grocery store Saturday with at least one person dead and the suspect's grandmother undergoing emergency surgery.

Police say the suspect initially shot his own grandmother as many as seven times before stealing her car and taking a woman, whom he reportedly also shot, hostage along with him. 

The deceased victim was identified as Melyda Corado, a Trader Joe's store manager, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As police pursued, there was an exchange of gunfire as the injured suspect crashed the vehicle and holed up in a Trader Joe's store in the Silver Lake neighborhood, The Associated Press reported

He was missing a tire and rim on the right side of his car as he crashed into a pole outside the store, one witness who'd just been inside the Trader Joe's told KCBS.

"It was really just a scary moment," said the witness, who recalled another customer's gut-wrenching reaction after seeing the scene unfold. "The customer said, 'My kids are still inside.'"

Per an LAPD statement, the suspect held multiple victims hostage within the store, where as many as 50 people were shopping at the time.The suspect was in contact with police over the course of the three-hour standoff, during which a woman was reportedly shot dead inside the store.

Police were able to rescue many customers through multiple entrances and at least one store window. 

The suspect also released hostages as he negotiated with police via a phone, cops said.

Police eventually convinced the suspect to handcuff himself and surrender.

The grandmother was rushed into emergency surgery in "very grave" condition, according to reports.

"The destructive and tragic consequences one person can inflict are at the forefront of our minds tonight," LAPD Chief Michel Moore tweeted. "As is the valor & dedication of our men & women who strived to protect so many innocent people-Our thoughts, prayers & hearts are with all effected by this senseless incident."

RELATED STORIES