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Police kill man during disturbance at Las Cruces Chili's
A candle memorializes Philip Mullin outside the Las Cruces Chili’s Grill and Bar on Oct. 10. Mullin was shot to death in a confrontation with police in the restaurant’s parking lot the previous evening.
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LAS CRUCES — A dinnertime disturbance at a popular chain restaurant Thursday evening culminated in the fatal shooting of a man by Las Cruces police.
Officers responded to reports that a man was threatening employees and guests at a Chili’s Grill and Bar in a dense commercial area at about 6 p.m. According to police, the first officer to arrive encountered Philip Mullin, 50, in the parking lot in 400 block of south Telshor Boulevard.
“Indications are that the officer perceived a threat from the man and discharged at least one round that struck the man,” the LCPD stated in a news release, which does not state whether the man held any weapon. Mullin reportedly died at the scene as officers attempted to resuscitate him.
The officer has been placed on standard administrative leave as the shooting is investigated by a multi-agency task force including New Mexico State Police, LCPD, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State University Police.
The restaurant and parking lot were closed through the night as the investigation continued, extending to Telshor Boulevard’s southbound lanes. At noon Friday, the parking lot was open, with blood still marking the driveway by the restaurant’s entrance. A candle was placed at the base of a tree at the parking lot entrance, with a paper crane affixed to it. Written on the crane’s wing was the message, “I love you Philip … I miss you.”
A sign on the restaurant door announced that it was temporarily closed. No one answered the phone.
LCPD Chief Jeremy Story said more information would be made available at a news conference Tuesday morning.
It was the second fatal shooting by a police officer in Las Cruces during 2025. On May 8, an officer shot and killed Josiah Perrault, 18, whom the officer said was chasing two other teenagers through a business parking lot with a gun in his hand. In March, Gabriel Padilla, 19, was shot and wounded by an officer during a foot chase near downtown while Padilla was holding a handgun.
