PHOENIX — Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano issued a public statement Friday morning addressing an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of the wrong man late last month.
The shooting originally happened on January 26 near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road just after 6 p.m.
A caller told police that a man was shooting at a home and that the gunfire had struck a family member.
When officers arrived, a community member told them that someone was "shooting people" and to go inside. One officer then ran toward the home and fired one round from his duty rifle through the open door of the home.
Records show that one of the gunshot victims was a resident of the home, identified as 36-year-old Christian Diaz Rendon. He was in a violent fight with the suspect, trying to subdue him, when a Phoenix police officer shot and killed Diaz Rendon. Family members say he was shot in the head.
Days after the shooting, the family of Christian Diaz Rendon spoke to ABC15 to share their story. Hear more from that in the player above.
Read the full statement from Police Chief Matt Giordano below:
My heart goes out to the family and loved ones affected by the officer-involved shooting on Monday, January 26. I am deeply sorry for their loss. I understand that incidents like this bring pain not only to those directly impacted but to our entire community.
Within the next few days, we will release the Critical Incident Briefing (CIB) video related to this investigation. Sharing these briefing videos is part of our ongoing commitment to transparency in all critical incidents involving our officers.
We understand there are many questions about the officer’s actions and about the suspect responsible for the aggravated assault that led to the initial call. The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) is conducting a criminal investigation, and we ask for patience as that process moves forward. We are fully cooperating and will continue to support DPS as they gather all the facts.
Based on what we now know, I am able to share that the man who was fatally shot had disarmed the individual who had fired shots at the home and other family members. He was not the subject of the original call.
My commitment is to transparency and accountability. Once DPS completes its investigation, the Phoenix Police Department’s Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an internal administrative investigation to determine whether our policies, training, and expectations were followed in this incident.
We know this does not lessen the pain felt by those who are grieving. Our goal is to be transparent and maintain trust as we work through this difficult incident together."
