A Tacoma man put his life on the line during a shooting at a local barcade. Now, he is continuing his heroics by patrolling the streets of Tacoma as Superman, costume and all.
Connor Mendoza was working at Dorky’s Arcade on Pacific Avenue when the unthinkable happened: a man pulled a gun on his coworker. Mendoza wrested the gunman to the ground and was shot twice in the stomach.
He is now using a superpowered alter ego to process his trauma and inspire others.
The shooting happened in October 2024 and sent Mendoza to the hospital for five days. He still has bullet fragments in his body and can’t work because of his injuries.
“I’m glad I intervened, because it could have been ten times worse,” Mendoza, who calls himself Hilltop Superman 253, said. “It would not have just been me getting injured. It would have been more people, probably dead.”
Unable to work, Mendoza now portrays his childhood idol full-time.
“Got the Superman belt, Superman underwear,” he said.
Mendoza describes himself as a social butterfly, but said PTSD from the shooting kept him away from other people. Being Superman helped him come back out of his shell.
The suit gets him a lot of attention. Drivers wave at him, people walking by stop for a picture, and some even play along. During his interview with KIRO 7, a family walking by staged a fake purse-snatching and asked Mendoza for help.
Mendoza’s life isn’t all fun and games, though. Full recovery will take years, and the court case against his accused shooter still isn’t over.
Prosecutors identified the suspect as Dre’Shaughn Henderson. He was arrested after the shooting, then released. He currently faces charges in three separate Pierce County cases but is currently in jail in Oregon.
Clackamas County, OR prosecutors charged Henderson with promoting prostitution.
Prosecutors there said he also faces 30 counts of contempt of court for repeatedly contacting an alleged victim despite a restraining order. A trial in that case is set for October.
It’s heavy stuff, but Mendoza said he’s focused on making other people happy for now.
“It makes me feel like I’m doing something helpful for the world,” he said. “If you make a smile on one person’s face, that can spread like wildfire.”
©2026 Cox Media Group
