Today, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement that two Whittier police detectives have been charged for their participation in the midday shooting that took place in April 2020 and resulted in Nicholas Carrillo being paralyzed.
“The decision by these two detectives to use deadly force on someone who was unarmed and fleeing is inexcusable,” said the District Attorney Gascón after the incident. “The police have access to a significant amount of authority, and with that power comes a significant amount of responsibility.
Because human life is so valuable, you should never resort to deadly action unless it is absolutely essential to protect another person’s life. Thank God, Mr. Carrillo made it through the ordeal, but as a direct result of the conduct of these officers, his life will never be the same.
Cynthia Lopez, who was born on November 25th in 1988, was arrested and charged in connection with the case BA513928. She was accused of two felony charges of assault while in a position of power, as well as one felony count each of assault with a semiautomatic pistol and shooting at an inhabited car.
Also Read: Woman Arrested For Fatally Stabbing Boyfriend In Gramercy Park
In connection with the same incident, Salvador Murillo (dob: 10/18/81) was charged with two felony counts for each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm causing great bodily injury and assault under the color of authority causing great bodily injury. Both of these charges were brought against him in the same case.
The arraignment will take place at a later time that has not yet been determined.
When the two defendants were on duty and operating in plain clothes on April 30, 2020, they came upon a car that may have been utilized in a robbery that took place at a Walmart in Estes on March 20, 2023. The robbery was committed by a female.
An alley was used as a stopping point for the vehicle. Carrillo was the only person in the car, and he was the one who was driving. After that, it is said that he drove backwards and collided with the front of the vehicle that belonged to the defendants before getting out of his own vehicle and running away.
Carrillo was sat in the driver’s seat when Lopez allegedly fired two rounds at him, missing him as he fled away. Lopez then allegedly fired two more shots into the back windshield while Carrillo was still in the driver’s seat.
Also Read: Rural Hospitals Are Shuttering Their Maternity Units
Murillo and Lopez gave chase, and as Carrillo climbed over a six-foot fence, it is said that Murillo fired more rounds, striking Carrillo twice in the back. Carrillo was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
He was rendered immediately paraplegic from the waist down when just one shot to the back destroyed his spine. He was unarmed, and there was no evidence of a weapon being kept in the vehicle.
The accused individuals are no longer employed by the department.
Both the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Whittier Police Department were responsible for the investigation into this case.
