By a Staff Reporter
CORONA, CA - Kenneth French, a 32-year-old Indian-American Riverside man who was described as gentle and non-verbal, was killed when an off-duty LAPD police officer opened fire inside the Costco Warehouse store here, on June 15.
CORONA, CA - Kenneth French, a 32-year-old Indian-American Riverside man who was described as gentle and non-verbal, was killed when an off-duty LAPD police officer opened fire inside the Costco Warehouse store here, on June 15.
An upset family member is questioning why the officer needed to open fire in a busy store, shooting French and his parents Russell and Paola French who were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The family has roots in Calcutta, India.
It now turns out that the person who fired a weapon in Costco that night was the off-duty Los Angeles police officer Salvador Sanchez. That was a surprising turn of events in the shooting that left French dead and his parents Russel and Paola wounded and sent panicked shoppers running for the exits. Family members of the Frenches have spoken out on social media, raising questions about the shooting. The official police statement claims that the officer opened fire because he was “assaulted.” Earlier accounts had indicated that an argument erupted in the store, although it’s not clear between whom.
The off-duty officer Sanchez is on leave as the Los Angeles Police Department conducts an administrative investigation into whether his use of deadly force “complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures,” the agency said in a news release.
According to media reports, the officer works at the LAPD’s Southwest Division and was released from the hospital. His injuries were minor. The Officer’s child was not injured during this incident which was described by LAPD as “an officer-involved shooting.”
“I’m not keeping quiet about this! People need to know! This is my family! These are the victims of the Costco shooting the other night,” wrote Kenneth’s cousin Rick Shureih on Facebook. “My cousin Kenneth was killed and his parents, my aunt & uncle were also both shot and are in ICU. Do they look intimidating to you? Did he really have to shoot them all? I’m posting this picture because the stories on social media have made them out to be the suspects, and the off duty cop the victim. This is a family that was unarmed and was just grocery shopping. Truth will come out! I’m sure this was a misunderstanding that got escalated for no reason!” In another post Shureih wrote that Kenneth was mentally disabled.
To the Press-Enterprise, he described Kenneth as a “gentle giant.” He also described Kenneth as “non-violent, non-aggressive, non-verbal,” and said “he has to be pretty much monitored.”
He told the LA Times that Kenneth’s mental condition had declined to the point where he no longer spoke. Speaking with India Journal, Dhaval Desai, owner of Bombay Bazaar in Corona said, “I have known the entire family for the last 6-7 years and they shop often at my store. I believe they are from Calcutta and Bombay. What happened to them is so tragic, when bad things happen to good people, it is totally unacceptable. When I read about the news, I was quite surprised. Kenneth was always well dressed, polite and patient. He stood in the corner with his head down and had never shown any aggression or stubbornness.’’
On social media, people who know the French family have posted comments questioning why the officer opened fire. “(The parents) are lovely people. It’s a tragedy that this happened to them and to Kenneth,” wrote one woman. “There is not a drop of violence in the whole family. Hopefully justice will be served,” wrote a man.
A joint Facebook page in the names of Russell and Paola French indicated the following background details, including roots in Calcutta, India: “Studied (ACCA) at Thames Valley University, UK. Went to St James’s School, Calcutta. Went to Dr. Grahams Homes School, Kalimpong. Lives in Riverside, California. From Calcutta Bara Bazar, West Bengal, India.”
According to his Facebook page, Kenneth “studied Accounting and Financial Management Services at McMaster University” and “went to St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School.”
Meanwhile, Officer Sanchez’s attorney has spoken out to The Los Angeles Times, “He was shopping with his wife and 1½-year-old at Costco. His son was in his arms and he was feeding his son some samples when within seconds he was on the ground and woke up from being unconscious and he was fighting for his life,” the attorney said. The alleged attacker was Kenneth French. When police entered the store they encountered a horrific scene: Four people down, with one man, Kenneth French, deceased. Shoppers stampeded for the doors. Some people complained that they couldn’t get the exit doors to open during the shooting.The shooting provoked a mass panic inside the store. Police said in a statement that a search of the Costco “revealed numerous personal items belonging to shoppers who had to quickly leave the store,” including a purse, cell phone and backpack. According to The Los Angeles Times, a man with a “Mohawk haircut was arguing with a woman with a child” when gunshots broke out. That man was “near a freezer section when he pulled a gun and fired at least six shots,” Fox News reported, citing witness accounts. The argument ignited between two people near the produce section. It’s not clear how the Frenches played into the supposed argument – if at all. It’s also not yet clear who the man with the Mohawk is.
It now turns out that the person who fired a weapon in Costco that night was the off-duty Los Angeles police officer Salvador Sanchez. That was a surprising turn of events in the shooting that left French dead and his parents Russel and Paola wounded and sent panicked shoppers running for the exits. Family members of the Frenches have spoken out on social media, raising questions about the shooting. The official police statement claims that the officer opened fire because he was “assaulted.” Earlier accounts had indicated that an argument erupted in the store, although it’s not clear between whom.
The off-duty officer Sanchez is on leave as the Los Angeles Police Department conducts an administrative investigation into whether his use of deadly force “complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures,” the agency said in a news release.
According to media reports, the officer works at the LAPD’s Southwest Division and was released from the hospital. His injuries were minor. The Officer’s child was not injured during this incident which was described by LAPD as “an officer-involved shooting.”
“I’m not keeping quiet about this! People need to know! This is my family! These are the victims of the Costco shooting the other night,” wrote Kenneth’s cousin Rick Shureih on Facebook. “My cousin Kenneth was killed and his parents, my aunt & uncle were also both shot and are in ICU. Do they look intimidating to you? Did he really have to shoot them all? I’m posting this picture because the stories on social media have made them out to be the suspects, and the off duty cop the victim. This is a family that was unarmed and was just grocery shopping. Truth will come out! I’m sure this was a misunderstanding that got escalated for no reason!” In another post Shureih wrote that Kenneth was mentally disabled.
To the Press-Enterprise, he described Kenneth as a “gentle giant.” He also described Kenneth as “non-violent, non-aggressive, non-verbal,” and said “he has to be pretty much monitored.”
He told the LA Times that Kenneth’s mental condition had declined to the point where he no longer spoke. Speaking with India Journal, Dhaval Desai, owner of Bombay Bazaar in Corona said, “I have known the entire family for the last 6-7 years and they shop often at my store. I believe they are from Calcutta and Bombay. What happened to them is so tragic, when bad things happen to good people, it is totally unacceptable. When I read about the news, I was quite surprised. Kenneth was always well dressed, polite and patient. He stood in the corner with his head down and had never shown any aggression or stubbornness.’’
On social media, people who know the French family have posted comments questioning why the officer opened fire. “(The parents) are lovely people. It’s a tragedy that this happened to them and to Kenneth,” wrote one woman. “There is not a drop of violence in the whole family. Hopefully justice will be served,” wrote a man.
A joint Facebook page in the names of Russell and Paola French indicated the following background details, including roots in Calcutta, India: “Studied (ACCA) at Thames Valley University, UK. Went to St James’s School, Calcutta. Went to Dr. Grahams Homes School, Kalimpong. Lives in Riverside, California. From Calcutta Bara Bazar, West Bengal, India.”
According to his Facebook page, Kenneth “studied Accounting and Financial Management Services at McMaster University” and “went to St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School.”
Meanwhile, Officer Sanchez’s attorney has spoken out to The Los Angeles Times, “He was shopping with his wife and 1½-year-old at Costco. His son was in his arms and he was feeding his son some samples when within seconds he was on the ground and woke up from being unconscious and he was fighting for his life,” the attorney said. The alleged attacker was Kenneth French. When police entered the store they encountered a horrific scene: Four people down, with one man, Kenneth French, deceased. Shoppers stampeded for the doors. Some people complained that they couldn’t get the exit doors to open during the shooting.The shooting provoked a mass panic inside the store. Police said in a statement that a search of the Costco “revealed numerous personal items belonging to shoppers who had to quickly leave the store,” including a purse, cell phone and backpack. According to The Los Angeles Times, a man with a “Mohawk haircut was arguing with a woman with a child” when gunshots broke out. That man was “near a freezer section when he pulled a gun and fired at least six shots,” Fox News reported, citing witness accounts. The argument ignited between two people near the produce section. It’s not clear how the Frenches played into the supposed argument – if at all. It’s also not yet clear who the man with the Mohawk is.
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