Family: Phoenix Police killed father who was subduing home intruder
Family says Phoenix officer ignored warnings before killing man
A family is demanding accountability after they say a Phoenix Police officer fatally shot a man who was defending his home from an intruder Monday evening. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has the details.
PHOENIX - A family is demanding accountability after they say a Phoenix Police officer fatally shot a man who was defending his home from an intruder Monday evening.
What we know:
Family members identified the deceased as Christian Diaz. According to his son, Carlos Recinos, an armed intruder broke into the home near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road just after 6 p.m. on Jan. 26, shooting Recinos in the ankle before Diaz managed to pin the suspect in a chokehold.
Witnesses say the situation turned tragic when police arrived. Neighbor Sonya Rodriguez said Diaz’s wife explicitly warned an officer that her husband was holding the intruder down.
"He asked her 'what happened?' and she said, 'There's the person that was shooting inside, and my husband is holding him.' So she said, ‘Be careful, because my husband is holding him,’ and it was within seconds that the policeman came inside, and he shot the husband," Rodriguez said.
Christian Diaz (right)
Despite the warning, family members say the officer fired through an open door within seconds, striking Diaz in the jaw.
"They mistook him for the shooter," Recinos said. "He crawled back into the living room bleeding out."
Phoenix Police have not confirmed if the officer’s gunfire killed Diaz, stating only that an officer opened fire and a man was later detained.
"Sorry doesn’t bring back my dad," said Jarvis Rosas Gonzales, another of Diaz’s sons. "He provides for us all ... and now that he’s gone, we don’t have that support."
Deadly shooting involving police at Phoenix home
One person is dead, and two others are in the hospital following a shooting on Monday night involving police near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. FOX 10's Irene Snyder reports.
Mariana Gonzalez was upstairs when she heard the first gunshots and her husband shouting for the family to get down. As she rushed downstairs, she heard her son screaming that he had been shot while an intruder continued to fire through the home, shattering the back door.
Gonzalez said Diaz and another man eventually tackled the gunman and disarmed him just before police arrived. According to the family, Diaz was still holding the intruder down when an officer opened fire.
The force of the gunshot threw Diaz back onto a sofa, where he took a final breath.
"You made a mistake," Gonzalez recalled telling the officer. "You shot my husband."
Relatives described Diaz as a hero and a devoted grandfather who died protecting his loved ones from a violent home invasion. While Gonzalez knows nothing will bring her husband back, she said she wants to ensure such a tragedy does not happen to anyone else.
What you can do:
The family has established a GoFundMe to assist with funeral expenses as the investigation remains active.
What's next:
The Arizona Department of Public Safety is now investigating the shooting.