Costco shooting: Man killed by off-duty officer had an intellectual disability, cousin says
On Friday night, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed by an off-duty officer in a Costco store in Corona.
When I saw it on the news on Saturday morning I held my breath like I do with every shooting that makes the news. And I wait.
I wait for them to say one of the parties has an intellectual disability.
This time it was true. The man killed, Kenneth French, was nonverbal and had an intellectual disability, according to a family member.
Last night, I sat watching my son Cooper and thinking someday he will no longer be my little boy.
Someday he will be 32 like Kenneth. He will still most likely be nonverbal. He will still have autism and an intellectual disability.
When he was diagnosed with autism at age three he was small and it was much easier then for people to understand his behaviors.
At age 8, it’s getting harder. He is a big boy. People see him and don’t understand why he acts the way he does.
They don’t understand that he can’t always communicate. Or understand. Or interact the way he should.
Before I know it, he will grow into a young man. A big, tall, nonverbal man, with severe autism.
A gentle giant
Kenneth French of Riverside lived with his parents and had the mental capacity of a teenager, said his cousin, Rich Shureih, in a phone interview with the Los Angeles Times on Sunday night.
Corona police Officer Tobias Kouroubacalis issued a statement over the weekend saying the off-duty LAPD officer was shopping at Costco with his family, holding his young child in his arms, when, “without provocation, a male unknown to the officer’s family assaulted the officer.”
“This attack resulted in the officer firing his weapon, striking the male and two of the male’s family members. The family members are being treated at local hospitals and are in critical condition,” he said. “The off-duty officer was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.”
The child was not injured.
Rick Shureih, cousin, described French as a mentally disabled “gentle giant” who rarely spoke.
“He (had) to be pretty much monitored,” Shureih told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. “He’s not the kind to trade words, so I don’t believe that a verbal confrontation happened.”
On Sunday, Shureih posted on Facebook a picture of French and his parents standing outside Universal Studios Hollywood, and wrote:
Do they look intimidating to you?
Shureih is begging for the surveillance tape to be released.
Sadly, individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities are often more at risk to violent crimes and abuse. As a mom of a child with autism, I encourage you to speak to your local law enforcement agencies and encourage them to properly train police officers and other first responders.
Today is a day I wish I could stop my son from growing up. Keep him small. Keep him safe forever.
Today is a day I wish I could change the world. And if I can’t, I wish I could run away with him. And live in a place where I know he would never be misunderstood.
Prayers to this family.
Hopefully the truth comes out…either way.
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