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The Corona police department investigate a shooting inside a Costco in Corona, Calif., Friday, June 14, 2019. A gunman opened fire inside the store during an argument, killing a man, wounding two other people and sparking a stampede of terrified shoppers before he was taken into custody, police said. The man involved in the argument was killed and two other people were wounded, Corona police Lt. Jeff Edwards said. (Will Lester/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Police Department is gathering evidence and video footage in an administrative investigation into an off-duty officer who shot and killed a man authorities say attacked him inside a Southern California Costco Wholesale warehouse store.
Authorities remained tight-lipped Sunday, not responding to requests for comment about what provoked the Friday night confrontation and whether anyone but the officer was armed. Two others were critically injured in the shooting in Corona, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said Sunday it is Chief Michel Moore's decision whether to put the officer on leave, but it remained unclear if that happened. The officer's identity has not been released.
The officer opened fire after Kenneth French, 32, of Riverside, "assaulted" him "without provocation" as he held his young child, Corona police said Saturday.
Bullets struck French and two of his family members, according to police. The officer was the only person who fired shots in the store, police said.
The officer was treated and released at a nearby hospital. The officer's child was not injured, the department said.
The department's policies allow off-duty officers to carry concealed weapons as long as they are authorized for on-duty use, according to the LAPD manual.
The LAPD will continue its internal probe as Corona police and the Riverside County district attorney's office conduct a separate investigation into the shooting. The LAPD said Sunday it had no further information. Corona police and the district attorney's office did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.
The shooting prompted a stampede of frightened shoppers, some who fled the store as others sought cover inside.
Witnesses reported seeing an argument between two people near a freezer section when shots rang out at least six times. The Costco reopened later Saturday.
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