Philip Mercado Mendoza, 37, was fatally shot while dining at El Perla del Mar in Tacoma on the evening of Saturday, February 5, 2022. Known as Big Phil to family and friends, he was seated near a window with other patrons and a band performing when, at about 9:30 p.m., a person in a hooded sweatshirt approached from outside, produced a gun, and fired through the window. Mendoza was struck and died; he was the only person killed in the attack.

Investigators have described the shooting as an isolated, targeted act against Mendoza. The shooter fled the scene and remains unidentified.

If anyone was at El Perla del Mar that night or has information about the shooting or the person who approached the window, please share what you know with the Tacoma Police Department.