BREAKING: New details revealed in fatal police shooting at Chili's
At a Tuesday briefing, LCPD released body-camera video from the Oct. 9 shooting outside Chili’s on South Telshor. Police say a man identified as Philip Mullen advanced with a hammer despite commands; he died at the scene.
Police say an officer fired three shots after repeated commands outside the South Telshor Boulevard restaurant as patrons reported a man with a knife and hammer.
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - The Las Cruces Police Department on Tuesday released body-camera video and a timeline of last week’s fatal officer-involved shooting outside Chili’s Gill & Bar, 426 S. Telshor Blvd., where a man identified by police as Philip Mullen was shot and killed after advancing toward an officer with a hammer, Chief Jeremy Story said.
Story said the incident began hours earlier on Oct. 9. At 10:42 a.m., a man later identified as Mullen asked about the cheapest handgun at a local gun store, then left. Around 4:15 p.m., officers took a report that a man used what appeared to be a machete to damage two vehicles at an apartment complex. By 6:03 p.m., 911 callers at Chili’s reported an aggressive man at the bar armed with a knife and a hammer — one caller said he had struck at least one patron.
The first officer arrived at 6:07 p.m., Story said. Body-cam video shows the officer ordering the driver to step out. As the man exits, he arms himself with a claw hammer and walks toward the officer. The officer can be heard telling him to put his hands up or not come closer at least eight times while backing away. After the man closes a distance of roughly 60 feet, the officer fires three rounds, striking him. Officers immediately render aid, but the man is pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Investigators later found a knife in the man’s sedan that matched descriptions from callers and from the earlier vandalism report, Story said. Several witnesses inside the restaurant gave similar accounts. Two patrons were listed as victims of aggravated assault — no patrons were reported injured, Story said.
Asked about tactics, Story said a lone officer generally will not use a less-lethal tool in what is perceived as a lethal encounter. He also noted prior contacts with Mullen involving yelling and threatening statements, and said family members described a history of mental illness. Police did not detail medical history.
The case is being investigated by the Officer-Involved Incident Task Force — New Mexico State Police, LCPD, Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State University Police — which serves as fact-finders and will present its file to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review, Story said.
LCPD said the video will be posted to the City of Las Cruces YouTube page and the department’s Facebook page.
Watch the full press conference below:
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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