At Costco food sample line, gunfire, death and unanswered questions

LOS ANGELES - It was a typical Friday night at Costco.

The cavernous Corona store was packed, and customers waited in line for food samples - the quintessential Costco experience.

An off-duty Los Angeles police officer, his wife and their baby were among those in the tasting queue. So was 32-year-old Kenneth French and his parents, who were shopping for a Father's Day barbecue.

An attorney for the officer told The Times it was in this sample line that a lethal confrontation began.

It is still unclear what incited the dispute. But the attorney, David Winslow, said the officer was knocked to the ground by a large man later identified as French. The officer then fired his gun