Shoppers at a Costco in Southern California can be seen running for cover as shots rang out earlier this year in a video released Wednesday, as prosecutors announced the off-duty police officer involved in the deadly June 14 shooting would not be charged.
The fatal shooting occurred when off-duty Los Angeles Police Officer Salvador Sanchez opened fire, killing 32-year-old Kenneth French and critically injuring his parents, Russell and Paola French. Sanchez reportedly said he opened fire because he thought he was being attacked by French while he was holding his child.
A federal grand jury on Wednesday declined to bring charges against Sanchez and Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said his office would not bring its own charges against the officer.
Hestrin said at a news conference that Sanchez believed he had been shot in the head and a shooter was on the loose when he and his son were knocked to the ground in the unprovoked assault.
After opening fire, four bullets struck French in the back and shoulder, one struck his mother in the stomach and another hit his father in the back, Corona police Chief George Johnstone said.
The encounter in the Corona warehouse store spanned just 3.8 seconds. The grand jury was presented with a poor-quality clip of surveillance video and testimony from several witnesses, some of whom had been subpoenaed.
In the video released by prosecutors, the two can be been struggling in the back of the store near where the rotisserie chicken was set out before both fall to the floor.
As gunshots rang out, shoppers throughout the warehouse store ran for cover, with many abandoning baskets and hiding down other aisles.
Ira Salzman, Sanchez’s lawyer, said his client was “gratified” to hear he won’t be charged. Salzman said Sanchez did not testify before the grand jury but had given evidence to the district attorney’s office regarding his state of mind and subsequent medical records showing a concussion.
“Sal believed he was shot,” Salzman said. “The case was a terrible tragedy.”
Dale Galipo, an attorney for the French family, said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by the development. He said he believes prosecutors only took the case to a grand jury to appease the community and may not have pushed hard enough to persuade the jurors.
The French family filed a claim against Sanchez and the LAPD, and their lawyer says they have plans to file a federal lawsuit next month.
The LAPD is also conducting an administrative inquiry into whether Sanchez followed the department’s policies.