On a busy Saturday night, February 5, 2022, the El Perla del Mar restaurant in Tacoma, Washington, was filled with the sounds of customers enjoying their meals and a band playing at various tables. Among the patrons was 37-year-old Philip Mercado Mendoza, a male, who was seated at a table near one of the windows. Known to his friends and family as 'Big Phil', he was a father of six children.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., the lively atmosphere of the restaurant was shattered by gunfire.
An individual wearing a hooded sweatshirt approached the window from the outside, brandished a gun, and opened fire into the establishment. The shots were directed at Mendoza, who was struck and fatally wounded. He was the sole casualty in the incident.
Law enforcement officials who arrived at the scene determined that this was not a random act of violence, but rather an isolated and targeted attack against Mendoza. The shooter, whose identity remains unknown, fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Despite the ongoing investigation by the Tacoma Police Department, there have been no arrests made in connection with the murder of Philip Mercado Mendoza, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The case remains unsolved, leaving a family and community searching for answers and justice for the targeted killing of a father of six.
