Former Los Angeles Police Officer Faces Charges for 2019 Corona Costco Shooting

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CORONA, Ca. – The investigation into a 2019 Corona Costco shooting that killed a mentally ill man has led to the arrest of a former Los Angeles police officer on Monday.

On June 14, 2019, Kenneth French, 32, of Riverside was at the Costco store located at 480 N. McKinley Street in the City of Corona with his parents. The off-duty LAPD officer, identified as Salvador Sanchez, was in a sample line while holding his 18-month-old son. Sanchez and French were involved in an altercation, leading to Sanchez producing his gun and firing 10 rounds toward French. French and his elderly parents were all shot, leaving his parents with serious injuries and killing Kenneth French.

French was described by his family as not violent and as non-verbal with intellectual disabilities. Months later in September 2019, a grand jury decided that charges would not be filed for the case, leading to outrage. Sanchez had explained to responding officers that he believed he had been shot when he began shooting that night.

The announcement of the charges against Sanchez came on Monday, August 9, 2021, by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Where there’s reason to believe a crime has been committed, we will seek justice,” said Attorney General Bonta. “That’s exactly what these charges are about: pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law. Ultimately, any loss of life is a tragedy and being licensed to carry a gun doesn’t mean you’re not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law.” Bonta announced that the charges filed are one count of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a semiautomatic handgun.

The charges announced today come after the conclusion of proceedings at the local level and a subsequent review of the incident by the Attorney General’s Office as authorized under Article V of the California Constitution. Sanchez was arrested this morning in Riverside County.