MCSO deputy Ruben Garcia fighting for his life after being shot during welfare call

PEORIA, AZ - A 49-year-old Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy is fighting for his life at a Valley hospital.

According to MCSO spokesman Chris Hegstrom, Ruben Garcia is listed in critical, but stable condition after a shooting early Tuesday morning .

Garcia was asked to check on the welfare of a man after his girlfriend called 911 late Monday night.

When Garcia saw the man's truck, he pulled the driver over and was shot several times.

"I heard 25 to 30 gunshots," said Scott Stubbs who looked over his fence to see police everywhere.

Soon after the shooting, residents found Deputy Garcia and tried to help. 

"We stopped the bleeding a little," said Andrew Phelps who helped perform CPR on Garcia. "I did chest compressions multiple times and he didn't respond."

Garcia was flown to John C. Lincoln Hospital where he remains Tuesday night.

A fellow deputy who came to the hospital to check on Garcia tells ABC15 he is not breathing on his own, but called him "a fighter."

The shooting suspect is identified as Donald Miller, Sr .

He was found dead in his truck near 83rd Avenue and Deer Valley Road after a pursuit by Peoria police, but it's unclear if he was shot by police, by Deputy Garcia or if he shot himself.

ABC15 has also uncovered the long and troubled past of Miller including two restraining orders against him by two ex-wives. Records show he broke the order this summer, one month after it was put in place. 

That ex-wife accused him of constantly calling and texting her, showing up at her home uninvited, sometimes with a gun. She also said he threatened to get her fired and to hurt himself.

The previous ex-wife files the order back in 2002 and accused Miller of threats and violence.

A neighbor of his ex-girlfriend, the one who called 911, said officers were at her house just two days ago because of Miller. 

"There were a lot of fights and police activity," said the woman who asked us not to give out her name. "It's shocking and sickening. You just never know."