Family: Man shot and killed by off-duty cop at California Costco was nonverbal, had intellectual disability

The cousin of a man shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in a Corona, California, Costco described him as being a "gentle giant" who was nonverbal and had an intellectual disability.

Kenneth French, 32, was fatally shot Friday night by an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer, the Corona Police Department said. Authorities say that while holding his child, the officer was suddenly attacked; he fired his weapon, hitting French and two of French's relatives.

French's cousin, Rick Shureih, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that French "has always been very cooperative and kept to himself." Shureih said French's parents, Russell and Paola French, were hit during the shooting, and both have been hospitalized in intensive care, with Paola in a coma. The officer, whose name has not been released, sustained minor injuries, the LAPD said.

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Police have not released any additional information on what occurred before the shooting, but Shureih told the Times that his cousin was no longer able to speak, and "it could have been that he bumped into somebody but couldn't communicate the fact that he was sorry." Shureih is asking that witnesses come forward and Costco release surveillance tapes. "These are things we need to pursue to make sure justice is done," he said.