'Mommy, We Need To Go': Corona Costco Shooting Prompted Stampede

CORONA, CA — A deadly triple shooting inside a Costco Wholesale store in Corona on Friday stemmed from an attack on an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer, police said. Corona police were called to the store near North McKinley Street and state Route 91 around 7:45 p.m. Friday as frightened shoppers bolted for the exits, fell to the floor or took shelter.

The officer, whose name hasn’t been released, was holding his young child while shopping with his family when he was attacked, police said Saturday. The officer opened fire on the assailant, killing him, and also shot two of his family members, police said. The relatives were in critical condition at local hospitals.

The Riverside County Coroners Office identified the man who was killed as Kenneth French, 32, of Riverside. The off-duty officer treated at a local hospital and released. The officer’s child was not hurt.

Many panicked shoppers fled the store in a stampede while others sought cover inside, The Associated Press reported. Witnesses said a man with a Mohawk haircut was arguing with someone near the freezer section just before gunfire erupted. At least half a dozen shots rang out. The man involved in the argument was killed, said police Lt. Jeff Edwards.

Shoppers and workers both described terror and chaos. Video shot by shopper Nikki Tate showed people shrieking inside the store. Tate was with her daughter to buy steaks and lobsters for Father’s Day. She said she was near the meat section when gunshots erupted. She dropped to the ground and crawled toward her daughter, who was at the other end. They huddled until they were able to escape through a side door.

“I saw people and heard shots and my first thought was ‘Jesus, is this another mass shooting?'” she said. “I didn’t know if this was a random thing or a domestic thing or if this was a mass shooting. Everything was happening so fast, I just wanted to get me and my kid to safety.”

In the video, her daughter says, “Mommy, we need to go.”

Christina Colis told the Riverside Press-Enterprise she was in the produce area when the shooting happened. She and other shoppers hid in a refrigerated produce room. Her mother saw injured people on the floor.

“I thought maybe someone dropped a bottle of wine, but then I kept hearing shots,” shopper Will Lungo told the Press-Enterprise newspaper. “An employee came in and helped us out through the emergency exit.”

An investigation remains ongoing. The names of those involved are not being released at this time.

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The officer’s gun was the only weapon involved in the incident, police said. Corona police are working closely with the prosecutors who will look at the facts and circumstances of what happened.

Witnesses who haven’t already spoken to police are asked to contact investigators.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.