2 Whittier officers charged in shooting that paralyzed unarmed man, Gascón says
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two former Whittier officers who shot an unarmed robbery suspect in 2020, leaving him paralyzed, are now facing criminal charges, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday.
The two former detectives were identified as Cynthia Lopez and Salvador Murillo. Gascón said the two fired several rounds at Nicholas Carrillo, who was running away from his car on foot and unarmed.
Carrillo was struck twice in the back, with one bullet severing his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, according to Gascón. He was struck in the back while climbing a fence in his attempt to flee, according to the DA's office.
"Although he was lucky to survive, his life was forever changed and he must now begin using a wheelchair," Gascón said.
There was no indication that Carrillo was armed and no weapon was found, he added.
"We don't believe it was appropriate to use deadly force in this case," Gascón said.
Murillo has been charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and two counts of assault under color of authority. Lopez has been charged with two counts of assault under color of authority, one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle and one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
According to the narrative provided by Gascón and Diana Teran, director of the DA's Justice System Integrity Division:
On the morning of March 20, 2020, a robbery was reported at a Walmart. A woman allegedly took a 40-inch television from the store without paying for it and got into a car driven by a man. Someone tried to stop her and there was a brief struggle before they fled.
About six weeks later, on April 30, detectives in an unmarked car spotted a possible suspect vehicle, a Mitsubishi sedan, and followed it in an alley on Comstock Avenue trying to detain the driver.
The detectives exited their car and drew their weapons as the Mitsubishi slowly backed up, bumping into the detectives' unmarked car, investigators said.
Carrillo then began running away on foot. The detectives chased after him and fired several rounds, according to prosecutors. Two bullets hit him in the back as he was climbing a fence. One bullet severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down.
At a news conference on Wednesday, officials initially said a female robbery suspect was also in the vehicle, adding that she was detained at the scene and later agreed to plea to a charge related to the Walmart incident. In a subsequent press release, however, the district attorney's office confirmed that Carrillo was the sole occupant of the vehicle and the woman was not detained at the time of the shooting on April 30.
No weapons were found at the scene or in the car.
Shortly after the original incident, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department issued a statement with a narrative that described the suspect as ramming into the undercover vehicle:
"The suspect's vehicle came to a sudden stop, immediately reversed, and rammed into the undercover vehicle when an officer-involved shooting ensued," the 2020 statement read. "The suspect then fled on foot, and a short foot pursuit followed. It was at this time; a second officer-involved shooting occurred which resulted in the suspect being struck by gunfire."
Gascon, however, said video review indicates the vehicle went backwards at a "very slow rate of speed." "Very minor, almost a tap of bumpers if you will," he said.
The two former officers are expected to be arraigned on Monday.
In August 2020, the city of Whittier paid a $1 million settlement to Carrillo over the shooting.
