Two former Whittier police detectives were charged Wednesday in the 2020 shooting of a man in a case that has already resulted in a $1 million civil settlement.
Detectives Cynthia Lopez and Salvador Murillo pulled over Nicholas Carrillo near the 7700 block of Comstock Avenue on April 30, 2020, after spotting a vehicle that may have been used in a robbery at a Walmart the month before, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday.
Carrillo allegedly reversed and bumped into the front of the detectives’ vehicle before getting out of the car and running away.
“Lopez allegedly fired into the rear windshield while Carrillo was seated in the driver’s seat and then fired two more shots at Carrillo, missing him as he ran away,” the D.A’s Office said.
The detectives chased Carrillo and, as he climbed over a six-foot fence, Murillo allegedly fired more shots, striking Carrillo in the back twice.
Carrillo was paralyzed from the waist down.
“Although he was lucky to survive, his life has forever changed,” Gascón said at a news conference Wednesday. “(He) was unarmed, and investigators found no weapons inside the car he was driving.”
Lopez is charged with felony counts of assault under the color of authority, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and shooting at an occupied vehicle. Murillo is charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm causing great bodily injury and assault under the color of authority causing great bodily injury.
They are no longer employed by Whittier Police, the D.A.’s Office said.
In August 2020, Whittier agreed to pay Carrillo $1 million to settle a legal claim, Whittier Daily News reported.