A former Whittier police officer reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, ending a criminal case that stemmed from a 2020 shooting that left an unarmed man paralyzed, officials said.
Salvador Murillo, 44, stood trial in November on multiple counts of assault by a peace officer and assault with a deadly weapon, but a mistrial was declared after three days of deliberation when the jury pool announced they were deadlocked. The panel was leaning toward convicting Murillo on all charges in connection with the incident, which saw the now former detective fire a volley of bullets at a fleeing suspect, Nicholas Carrillo, severing his spine.
During a Feb. 23 hearing, he was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to give up his right to serve as a police officer in California after pleading to two counts of assault by an officer, according to Josh Rubenstein, communications director for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Murillo must also complete 200 hours of community service and pay restitution to Carrillo’s family, Rubenstein said.
“This conviction illustrates the consequences officers face when they recklessly open fire on someone who is unarmed and running away from them,” Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement on Monday. “While a jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict on guilt, this plea affirms that using deadly force was not justified, and it was a criminal act. My office will continue to ensure that justice applies equally to every person regardless of their position.”
An attorney for Murillo did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Whittier Police Department was not available for comment.
Murillo and his then-partner, Cynthia Lopez, were working undercover in April 2020 when they came upon a white Mitsubishi that had been linked to a robbery at a local Walmart. Murillo called for a Whittier police cruiser to stop the Mitsubishi, his lawyer said at trial last year.
Although Carrillo was driving the Mitsubishi that day, he was not a suspect in the robbery, which prosecutors say was committed by his then-girlfriend.
When confronted by the marked cruiser in an alley, prosecutors say Carrillo backed up at a slow speed, bumping Murillo and Lopez’s undercover vehicle. Murillo claimed he was rammed; prosecutors said the collision happened at less than 10 miles per hour and was “more of a jolt.”
Lopez fired one round into the vehicle after the collision, then two more at Carrillo as he fled on foot. Video shows Murillo chasing Carillo down the alley and around a corner. Murillo said he saw Carillo reach for his waistband as he ran. He said that movement, combined with Lopez’s shots, made him fear the suspect had a weapon.
As Carillo started climbing a fence to escape, Murillo shot at him four times, striking Carillo in the back twice, prosecutors said. One of the rounds severed Carrillo’s spine, leaving him permanently paralyzed. He died last year of a drug overdose, according to coroner’s records.
“We believe he did not have to fire four times at a man who was running away and unarmed,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Tracy said in his closing argument last year.
Assault charges against Lopez were dismissed at a 2024 preliminary hearing. She did not testify at trial.
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