A former Whittier police detective has quietly closed the book on a high-profile shooting case, taking a plea in a 2020 alleyway incident that left an unarmed man paralyzed. The agreement, entered at a Feb. 23 hearing, brings a yearslong criminal prosecution to an end after the case went to trial last fall.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 44-year-old Salvador Murillo pleaded to two counts of assault by a peace officer. Under the deal, Murillo received one year of probation, must complete 200 hours of community service, and will be required to pay restitution to the family of Nicholas Carrillo. He also permanently surrendered his right to serve as a police officer in California, the outlet reported. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman framed the outcome as a clear statement that using deadly force in this incident was not justified, the Times noted.
How the shooting unfolded
The shooting traces back to April 30, 2020. As detailed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Murillo and his then-partner, Detective Cynthia Lopez, were working undercover when they stopped a Mitsubishi that had been linked to a reported Walmart robbery.
Prosecutors say the driver, who was later identified as Nicholas Carrillo, bumped the undercover vehicle, then took off on foot. Lopez fired into the car and then toward Carrillo, while Murillo gave chase and fired additional rounds, according to the DA's account. One of those rounds severed Carrillo's spinal cord, leaving him permanently paralyzed, the DA's office said.
Trial, mistrial, and partner's charges
Murillo finally went before a jury in November 2025, but the case did not reach a verdict. Jurors deadlocked after several days of deliberations, and a judge declared a mistrial, MyNewsLA reported. The outlet noted that the panel had been leaning toward conviction but could not reach a unanimous decision.
MyNewsLA also reported that assault charges against Lopez were dismissed after a 2024 preliminary hearing. Carrillo later died in 2025 of a drug overdose, according to coroner records cited by the outlet.
Legal fallout
The plea deal takes a second trial off the table and formally removes Murillo from policing while requiring community service and restitution to Carrillo's family. In Whittier and across Los Angeles County, the case is likely to linger as a touchstone in arguments over how on-duty use-of-force cases are charged, tried, and resolved, particularly when an officer's split-second decision leaves a civilian permanently injured.
