A gunman arrested for murder after storming a Trader Joe's store in Los Angeles and killing an employee had earlier shot his grandmother several times over a feud about TVs and his girlfriend.

Gene Evin Atkins, 28, remains behind bars in lieu of $2 million bail, according to police.

He is accused of going on a shooting spree on Saturday, which began when he shot his grandmother several times and wounded his girlfriend, who he forced into his car, and led police on a chase before he crashed into a pole outside Trader Joe's.

Atkins is said to have shot the 76-year-old at their South Los Angeles home after she complained about his having too many television sets on, a cousin, Charlene Egland, said.

Gene Evin Atkins, 28, (pictured) remained behind bars on Sunday in lieu of $2 million bail, according to police

Mary Elizabeth Madison was taken to a hospital in critical condition but Egland said she underwent surgery and was improving Sunday.

Madison raised Atkins from the age of seven and he had never been violent toward her but recently had seemed upset and distant, Egland said.

'He didn't seem right to me,' Egland said.

For the past two or three weeks, the two had argued over Atkins' girlfriend, who was staying at their home, Egland said.

'She didn't want the girl over there anymore,' Egland said.

Egland said she was walking toward the house when she heard about six gunshots. Another cousin, who lives in the house, came running from the porch and shouted to Egland, 'I think Gene shot my mama!'

Police said Atkins' girlfriend was grazed in the head by a bullet, but the injury is not life threatening.

Egland ran to call 911 but Atkins allegedly forced his wounded girlfriend into his grandmother's car and drove away.

Atkins who held up to 50 people hostage at Trader Joe's and allegedly killed a woman inside surrendered to police in handcuffs on Saturday evening

Atkins (pictured being taken for medical treatment after his arrest) is accused of going on a shooting spree on Saturday, which began when he shot his grandmother seven times, and wounded his girlfriend, who he forced into his car, and led police on a chase before he crashed into a pole outside Trader Joes

A stolen-car device helped police track it to Hollywood but Atkins refused to pull over, police said.

During the chase, Atkins fired at officers, blowing out the car's back window, and there was more shooting before the car crashed into a pole outside the Trader Joe's, followed by another shootout with police, Police Chief Michel Moore said.

Trader Joe's employee Melyda Corado, 27, was killed in the crossfire. Police did not provide any additional details on Sunday and it remained unclear whether she died from police gunfire or was killed by the gunman.

Officer Drake Madison, a Los Angeles police spokesman, said Atkins had been licensed to work as a security guard, but his license expired in November 2017, according to state records.

It was not clear whether the particular license he possessed would have allowed him to legally carry a firearm.

He was booked Sunday on suspicion of murder.

Pictured: Mely Corado, the Trader Joe's employee who was killed in the store when the suspect ran in on Saturday afternoon

The incident began when Atkins got into an argument with his grandmother about 1.30pm, police said. He shot her several times and stole her 2015 Toyota Camry.

The man's grandmother was transported to hospital in 'grave condition', has undergone several surgeries and remains in a critical condition, LAPD Chief Michael Moore said.

He fled with a woman believed to be his girlfriend, who was 'forcibly taken' with him, police said. She was also injured but is expected to survive.

They arrived outside the supermarket at just before 3.30pm. Police chased Atkins from Hollywood into Silverlake, where he crashed outside the shop, shot his girlfriend, and ran inside. Police rescued the 20-year-old woman left inside.

Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the woman is his girlfriend, and he had fired at officers, who fired back, before he ran inside the supermarket.

Pictured: The suspect, who is 28 years old, allegedly shot his grandmother as many as seven times before holding as many as 50 people in a Trader Joe's hostage

Pictured: The suspect (pictured center), handed himself into police just after 6.30pm after a three-hour siege

Police swarmed the Trader Joe's in Silverlake on Saturday afternoon after the gunman barricaded himself inside

Customers and employees frantically dove for cover and barricaded themselves inside storerooms and bathrooms as bullets fired by police shattered the store's glass doors.

As he heard gunfire, Sean Gerace, who was working in the back of the supermarket, grabbed several of his co-workers and the group made their way into an upstairs storage area. He grabbed a folding ladder and tossed it out a window, helping his colleagues escape to safety, he told KNBC-TV.

'I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window and just tried to get the attention of the SWAT officer,' Gerace told the television station.

Devin Field said on Twitter he was about to enter the Trader Joe's when the man's car crashed into a street lamp outside.

'I was walking in when he crashed into the entrance and got out shooting,' he said.

'I ducked behind the four-foot retaining wall in the parking lot and three LAPD officers ran over, knelt behind it right next to me and opened fire.'

Mayor Eric Garcetti said a woman had been shot dead inside the store

Pictured: A young victim is taken away from the store in a wheelchair with a bandage on their knee an

Hostages were seen escaping from a ladder near the front of the store (pictured)

A police officer with a helmet is seen carrying a child away from the store

Field says others who had been evacuated said the gunman 'walked in shooting', demanded a jumper and a phone, and moved the remaining hostages to the back of the store.

Law enforcement spent hours working to evacuate employees and customers, including small children, with at least one person seen fleeing with injuries.

Heavily armed officers in riot gear stood along the side of the store and used mirrors to look inside as hostage negotiators tried to coax Atkins into freeing his 40 to 50 hostages and surrendering.

Meanwhile, police removed the female passenger in the car, who had a graze wound, from the scene.

Mayor Garcetti confirmed to reporters there were initially 40-50 customers and employees in the store with him.

'A slow and steady stream of people who had hidden and were helped by LAPD to escape, or people who were released by the hostage taker [were seen leaving the store],' he said.

The gunman was injured in his left arm during his shootout with police, and NBC reported towards the end of the hostage situation, people he had forcibly taken were helping him with his wounds.

An employee told him there was 'blood all over the floor', but they did not know where it'd come from. He says another employee said one Trader Joe's worker was shot in the arm.

About three hours later, Atkins agreed to handcuff himself and walked out the front door, surrounded by four of the hostages.

Pictured: A Trader Joe's employee is comforted after escaping the supermarket where the man barricaded himself with hostages

A Trader Joe's cart left by a customer who fled a hostage situation in the store sits in a parking lot nearby

Corado, who was killed, had worked at Trader Joe's since 2014.

LAPD sources told ABC7 Mely was the store manager.

On Sunday, grieving family members, co-workers and customers remembered Corado as lively, hardworking and always smiling. A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and notes grew on the sidewalk outside of the store on Sunday.

'I'm sad to say she didn't make it. My baby sister. My world,' her brother, Albert Corado said on Twitter.

Trader Joe's said the store - known by customers as a neighborhood hangout with great customer service - would remain closed for the foreseeable future to give their employees time to process and grieve.

'Yesterday marks the saddest day in Trader Joe's history as we mourn the loss of one our own,' company spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement. 'Our thoughts are with her family, and our Crew Members and customers who experienced this terrifying and unimaginable ordeal.'