As of late September 2026, no new public developments have emerged in the criminal case. Rodney Otis Rich remains in custody; a pretrial hearing was ordered for August 28, 2026, at West Justice Center, but no public account of its outcome has been reported. Tamie Sue Walker remains released without bond on a single misdemeanor count. The victim's condition has not been publicly updated since the criminal complaint described permanent paralysis.

At approximately 7:35 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, a man was shot in the parking lot of the Stater Bros. supermarket at 2180 Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa. The victim — identified in subsequent reporting as a store worker — was transported to a hospital and initially reported in critical condition. According to the criminal complaint, as reported by the OC Register, he is permanently paralyzed.

Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) located and arrested two suspects at the Costa Mesa Village apartments on the 2400 block of Newport Boulevard — roughly a quarter mile north of the shooting scene — at approximately 3:00 p.m. the same day.

On August 20, 2026, the Orange County District Attorney filed charges and both suspects appeared in court.

Rodney Otis Rich, 37, pleaded not guilty to felony counts of attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a stolen and loaded firearm in public, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The complaint includes enhancements for premeditation, great bodily injury, and the victim's brain injury and paralysis. The complaint also cites a prior April 2021 criminal-threat conviction. Rich also faces a misdemeanor count of resisting/obstructing a peace officer. He is held without bail, though a separate report from MyNewsLA and the LA Times Daily Pilot indicated bail was set at $1 million — that discrepancy remains unresolved in public records.

Tamie Sue Walker, 63 — identified by CMPD as "Tammie Walker" at the time of arrest, with the spelling corrected in the formal complaint — was charged only with misdemeanor resisting/obstructing. The DA did not file the attempted-murder or conspiracy allegations on which she had been booked. Walker pleaded not guilty and was released without bond.

No motive has been established. CMPD has stated the incident was not gang-related. The relationship, if any, between the suspects and the victim is not publicly known.

• Outcome of the August 28 pretrial hearing at West Justice Center (no public reporting as of late September 2026)
• Any further charging action against Walker
• Official update on the victim's condition from CMPD or hospital
• Resolution of the conflicting bail-status reports for Rich