Valley trauma surgeon Dr. Kris Johnson faces five to 10 years in prison under the only plea deal Maricopa County prosecutors will offer him.

But after an ABC15 investigation into the case, law enforcement sources are raising questions about how the doctors prosecution compares to the recent deal offered to a man who attacked an officer with a knife and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and a terrorism charge.

Ismail Hamed was sentenced to four years in prison in May for an attack against a Maricopa County Sheriff's deputy back in 2019.

However, the states online inmate database states he could be released a year earlier.

Body camera video shows Hamed throwing rocks, pulling a knife, and refusing to stop advancing toward Sgt. Brandon Wells. Detectives later found he was "radicalizing" and wanted to harm police to "promote terror" for ISIS, records show.

RELATED: See more of the investigative series A Shot in the Dark by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing

Sgt. Wells spoke at Hameds sentencing and issued a blistering final line about County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

"The United States does not negotiate with terrorists, and the County Attorney did just that," Wells said.

As part of a plea deal, county prosecutors agreed to reclassify Hameds charges as non dangerous, which allowed him to receive less prison time.

That is something they will not do for Johnson, who has only been offered a deal that keeps his charges designated as dangerous offenses.

At a recent press conference, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell responded to questions about how the two cases have been handled.

"Again, I'm not really going to address the doctor case, Mitchell said, because of the upcoming trial. But what I would say is what we took into account in the (Hamed) case is a significant mental health history.

Johnson's case stems from a June 2022 night when he was worried about a prowler at his front door. He went outside and fired a warning shot straight into the air when he saw bright flood lights blocking the road to his neighborhood. He did not know it was Phoenix police already there because neighbors had called 911 about the same man. Johnson was shot from behind by officers. As he sprinted away in a panic, he said he accidentally fired off three other shots. Officers claim they heard Johnsons shots whiz by them, but no bullets were found behind the officers.

In court hearings, a judge explicitly told prosecutors that he does not want to see Johnson in prison.

"I certainly hope this case doesn't go to trial He's not the typical person we want to put in prison. So, I hope we don't get anywhere close to that, that you are able to come to a resolution of some sort," the judge said.

As part of previous reporting on this investigation, we also looked at how the county attorney allowed the former state prison director to receive probation and no prison time after he pointed a gun at officers in a drunken standoff.

After a follow-up question, Mitchell further addressed comparisons to the doctors case.

You know, I have to be very wary of tainting a jury pool, and so I'm not going to comment on that, the county attorney said. But what I would say in general is this: Every case is different, and we look at the unique factors of each case, and make offers based on those," Mitchell said.

Johnson has not accepted a plea deal and is scheduled to start trial in late July.

Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.

In two different high-profile and chaotic Phoenix police shootings, officers shouted "show me your hands" but never shouted "police to clearly identify themselves before opening fire.

A retired NYPD detective sergeant turned criminal justice instructor says the cases raise serious questions about police training and that identifying yourself as an officer in a high-stress situation should be automatic.

From the beginning, you know, you're told, We are the police, and we're giving you an order now, said Felipe Rodriguez, a professor with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "But just show me your hands, that could be anybody. And I think we really need to have a hard look at this training.

The two shootings separately involved

, who police shot from behind, and

, who was killed.

Attorneys for both men said they did not know police were present.

In June 2022, Johnson fired a warning shot straight into the air after seeing bright flood lights blocking the road to his neighborhood, worried about a prowler who had just been at his front door. He didn't know Phoenix police were already on scene, called by neighbors who had reported the same man, who ended up being a documented gang member with multiple previous convictions.

In January 2026, Diaz was fighting off an armed intruder who had broken into his home when an officer arrived, shouted "show me your f***ing hands," and fired less than a second later.

"You got to remember, too, during a high-end situation where people are amped up, adrenaline is flowing, we will have auditory exclusion, which is, you know, what our hearing becomes diminished, our vision could be diminished, Rodriguez. So we have to train for that, and you know, give those extra commands.

Johnson, a trauma surgeon, who Phoenix police and county prosecutors are aggressively prosecuting, admits firing the warning shot into the night was wrong. But he panicked when he saw a set of bright white floodlights blocking the road in and out of the neighborhood.

The officers also did not have their red and blue lights flashing.

If Johnson had seen them or heard officers identify themselves, he said he would have turned around and gone back inside his house.

That would have been it. They're here. They got the guy. They'll sort it out from here. Thank you, he said.

Attorney David Chami, who represents the Diaz family, said the failure to identify may have been fatal.

"I do think if he said, 'Hey, it's the Phoenix police, show me your hands, and gave Christian an opportunity to actually do that, he'd probably still be alive. We probably wouldn't be here right now," Chami said.

The Phoenix Police Department is declining to comment on how officers handled the shootings.

But officials said the officers actions in the Johnson shooting were found to be within policy, and the Diaz shooting remains under internal investigation.

Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.

This digital article was produced with the assistance of AI and converted to this platform based on the broadcast story written and reported by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A member of the Phoenix Police Department's Critical Incident Review Board says the board is flawed, exists mostly for show, and is stacked in favor of law enforcement.

Thomas Claiborn IV, a public member of the Critical Incident Review Board for the past eight years, also said an ABC15 investigation into a controversial shooting showed more video and information than the city presented.

"Watching all the information that you all had provided was a completely different angle than we would even be presented with," Claiborn said.

Claiborn IV, who is also a member of an ABC15 community advisory committee, sat down to discuss broader concerns about the board and how it reviewed the case of Dr. Kris Johnson, a Phoenix trauma surgeon shot by police near his home in June 2022.

Phoenix police officials have declined to comment on the Johnson shooting because a criminal case against the Valley trauma surgeon is ongoing.

According to Phoenix's website, the seven-member board is made up of a rotation of four police officials and three public members.

Its purpose is to review officer-involved shootings and other serious injuries or deaths to determine and recommend to the police chief whether the actions of officers were appropriate or violated any policies.

But Claiborn IV said the board has no real authority and is mostly shown what the police department determines is necessary.

He believes the publics perception of the board and its authority is misunderstood and can be used in a misleading way by the city.

"I think it's misleading, Claiborn IV said. Because again, the critical review board, there's no authority to it. You're reviewing it, you're giving a perspective that if it's within or out of policy.

He said the police chief can choose to disregard the recommendation if they want to.

He also said the board is limited to police policies and procedures, and its difficult to find officers out of policy because he believes some are written and designed to protect them.

If you have bad policies, then there's no mechanism to challenge that, Claiborn IV said.

In the Johnson shooting, the Critical Incident Review Board found officers acted within policy.

RELATED: Outside expert raises concern about police shooting

Heres a quick breakdown of Johnsons case:

Only six board members heard the Johnson case not the usual seven, according to the city.

The four police members were Assistant Chief Charmane Osborn, Commander Charles Consolian, Officer Kaye Wagstaff, and Det. Dominick Roestenberg.

The two public members were Claiborn IV and Michael Apostolos, who declined to comment.

ABC15 also discovered the board, which state law requires to include more police officials than public members, deliberates in secret and doesnt take votes.

Instead, members privately reach a consensus.

"There's been legislation that's been put in force that never allows the citizens to have more (members) than what the police force is," Claiborn IV said.

Claiborn said the dynamic inside the room creates pressure for the police officials that makes objectivity difficult.

We're not in there wearing a mask or anything. So, (theyre) in there with a space of (their) peers. There's the automatic peer pressure that you know you can't fully look at it objectively," Claiborn IV said.

At board meetings, the department presents its findings, and officers and their unions also speak to the board. Claiborn said people from the other side of a case are not brought in.

Claiborn said the doctor's case was presented to the board in a way that framed Johnson as a potential suspect.

"When I was able to see what you all have already put together, it also gave me a larger perspective than the lens by which we get presented from our angle, he said. Again, as a review board, we're only looking at it through the lens of the body cams from the police officers, and we're responding to what they're responding to from their opinion and their perspective.

He added, So it was definitely like a more holistic story when I saw the evidence, the information that you all had presented."

The Phoenix Police Department is investigating whether one of its officers involved in a controversial shooting case posted a series of crying-laughing face emojis under a social media story about the case.

The department confirmed it is investigating whether an Instagram account belongs to Officer Anthony DeSanto and whether he authored the post.

The Professional Standards Bureau is currently reviewing the information and working to determine the authenticity of the profile and identify the individual responsible for the account, according to a written statement sent from a Phoenix spokesperson. If the investigation confirms that the account is operated by a Phoenix Police Department employee, PSB will then determine what potential policy violations may exist.

Its not yet clear if Officer DeSanto operated the Instagram account, @desanto8592, which also shows the name Tony DeSanto on the profile page.

Through multiple sources, ABC15 confirmed the profiles photo, which shows a man firing a shotgun at a shooting range, was taken at the Phoenix Regional Police Academy.

When asked by a reporter to specifically ask Officer DeSanto if he operated the account, a spokesperson said, the question regarding whether the Instagram account belongs to Officer DeSanto will be addressed as part of that investigation.

The comment was posted under an Instagram post about ABC15s A Shot in the Dark investigation, which focuses on the shooting and prosecution involving Dr. Kris Johnson, who is set to face trial in the coming months.

To learn more about Johnsons case and the chaotic chain of events leading to his arrest, ABC15s three-part investigation can be found here.

Officer DeSanto was one of two officers who fired shots at Johnson during a shooting that was sparked after the doctor fired a warning shot into the air to scare off a prowler without knowing officers were in the area.

Johnson, who was shot in the leg from behind by a different officer, was charged with a handful of felonies, and DeSanto is officially listed as one of the victims.

If the Instagram account and post are confirmed to be linked to DeSanto, it would almost certainly be used as impeachment material at trial during cross-examination, according to defense attorneys interviewed by ABC15.

Oh, I think absolutely (it could have an impact, said Derek Debus, a firearms and veterans attorney, who was formerly a Maricopa County prosecutor.

He added, The jury is going to consider the fact that this that this officer is so biased about this incident that he's making jokes about it when they're considering whether or not a conviction is reasonable under the circumstances. And lastly, it shows just a complete level of disrespect for the court process and the seriousness of this case.

Officer DeSanto could not be reached for comment.

Shortly after ABC15 replied to the comment of cry-laughing face emojis by asking if the commenter had anything to add, the account was either deactivated or deleted.

ABC15 also discovered the same account had also posted on some of the stations other Instagram posts, including a story about whether Phoenix police have an issue with body cameras falling off too often.

Whoever posted under @desanto8592 got into a back-and-forth with commenters and challenged one of them to a fight. The post stated, in part, lol how about this wear a body camera and fight me and we will see if it stays on.

Phoenix told ABC15 that the post is also under investigation.

We want our police officers to be professional, even keeled, you know, arbiters of, you know, law enforcement and to go out there, hunt down news articles and make jokes about that in a public forum, Debus said. Just not only displays an immaturity, but just bad judgment that we don't want to see in our police officers.

Dave@ABC15.com

Maricopa County Rachel Mitchell is standing by her offices decision to seek years in prison for a Valley trauma surgeon despite significant concerns from the court and outside experts.

Weeks before trial, the county attorneys office has not budged from its offer of five to ten years in prison for Dr. Kris Johnson, who is willing to plead guilty but not to aggravated assault charges that would put him behind bars.

To learn more about Johnsons case and the chaotic chain of events leading to his arrest, ABC15s three-part investigation can be found here.

Ahead of ABC15s investigation, Mitchell and her office declined interview requests and would not answer questions about the case. But during a recent press conference about a different Phoenix police shooting, ABC15 was able to ask the county attorney several questions.

ABC15:

Mitchell:

Johnsons case began almost four years ago.

After years of hearings and a probable cause presentation, a judge openly stated that he does not believe that Johnson belongs in prison.

"I certainly hope this case doesn't go to trial," Judge Michael Mandell said. "He's not the typical person we want to put in prison. So I hope we don't get anywhere close to that, that you are able to come to a resolution of some sort."

ABC15:

Mitchell:

ABC15:

Mitchell:

Mitchell also rejected the comparison between Johnsons case and the armed standoff between Tempe police and former state prison director Charles Ryan, who received probation and no time behind bars.

ABC15:

Mitchell:

Mitchell's allegation that Johnson fired at police is significant.

ABC15 reviewed hundreds of police files and evidence photos and did not find anything proving shots were fired in the officers' direction. During a hearing, police and prosecutors also stated that they believe Johnson when he says he did not know the people outside were officers.

Mitchells statement appears to be based on the words of the Phoenix officers, who claim to hear bullets that "whizzed" by them.

ABC15:

Mitchell:

Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.

Following ABC15s special investigation, "A Shot in the Dark", thousands of viewers have left comments, questions, and concerns about the law and the case.

Derek Debus, a firearms and veterans attorney whos also a former county prosecutor, agreed to review some of the most common topics and themes.

Overall, he said the Maricopa County Attorneys Office has overcharged the case.

"It doesn't make sense to me that the justice would require a trauma surgeon who understands what he did wrong needs to be in jail for 5, 10, maybe even 20 years for a dumb mistake," Debus said.

To learn more about MCAOs prosecution against Dr. Kris Johnson, ABC15s three-part investigation can be found here.

ABC15 and Debus addressed viewers questions and comments about Shannons Law, typical punishments for unlawful discharges, and the potential pressures, influences, and motivations driving the county attorneys office in this case.

See a condensed version of the interview in the video player above.

The full interview can be found below.

Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.

Kris Johnson doesnt want to remember that night.

It was an almost pitch-black night almost four years ago, when he fired a warning shot straight into the hot desert air of his west Phoenix neighborhood.

But that night, and what will happen in the coming weeks, will shape the rest of his life.

I don't want to. I don't want to remember this anymore, said Kris, a trauma surgeon, during an interview in his kitchen ahead of his upcoming trial. I don't want to remember that night. It's like a nightmare.

A nightmare thats almost impossible to describe.

On June 30, 2022, it all began with a documented gang member with 30-plus convictions prowling around the Johnsons' front door and ended with Kris being shot from behind by Phoenix police and charged with a handful of felonies that could put him in prison for two decades.

Everybody made mistakes that night. But at this point, I'm the only one paying for any of them, Kris said.

Despite the court asking prosecutors to offer a plea deal that would keep the doctor out of state lockup, top Maricopa County Attorneys Office officials remain determined to put him there.

That's why Kris and his wife are sharing their side openly, publicly, and without any restrictions -- in an exclusive on-camera interview with ABC15 ahead of his criminal trial set for late May.

They hope that Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell will watch and listen.

Please take a real look at this, take a look at the whole picture, Kris said. There's a lot more leading up to and afterward, and that can't be ignored. I was out there for one reason that night, and that was to protect my family.

Watch all three parts of A Shot in the Dark: An ABC15 (in)defensible investigation below.

The defense attorney for Kris called the night of June 30, 2022, a calamity of errors.

It began around 11 p.m. when a strange man showed up at the Johnsons' front door unexpectedly.

The doctors wife, Jill, then a probation officer, was up late finishing reports in the kitchen when she noticed the man, who can be seen peering into windows and checking under pots and plants by the door.

When Kris went outside to make sure the man wasnt looking for another way into his home, he saw a set of two vehicles with bright white floodlights blocking the entrance and exit of his neighborhood.

Kris said he did not know those lights were from Phoenix police vehicles for officers already in the area, because other residents called 911 about the same man.

The doctor then walked about 50 yards from the cars and fired off a warning shot into the air something he admits was a mistake and the most regrettable decision of his life.

What happened next?

Chaos.

Its taken four years to get to trial, which is currently scheduled for late May 2026.

Thats because the indictment was thrown out twice because police and prosecutors failed each time to properly inform the grand jury about the law surrounding self-defense claims.

Eventually, a judge found there was probable cause at a preliminary hearing. But the same judge later said that he does not believe Kris should end up in prison and added that he hoped another resolution could be reached instead of a trial.

But prosecutors, with Maricopa County Rachel Mitchells approval, wont offer a plea deal for anything less than five to ten years in prison.

In this report, ABC15 digs deeper into MCAOs prosecution.

ABC15 interviewed a criminal justice professor from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York about the case.

Felipe Rodriguez, also a retired NYPD detective sergeant, found issues on all sides of the case and called police and prosecutors attempt to put Kris in a prison a travesty of justice.

What stuck out to Rodriguez the most: Officers at the scene did not identify themselves before firing nine shots into the dark.

Since no one took control of the situation, chaos reigned, he said.

The Phoenix Police Department and Maricopa County Attorneys Office did not agree to interview requests for this story. The agencies instead released general statements that did not directly address the facts of the case.

Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Lorraine Fernandez emailed,

ABC15 confirmed Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has personally reviewed the case and stands by the plea offer.

Mitchells office emailed an unattributed statement that said, The County Attorney reviews all officer-involved shootings. Though many of the facts are apparently being misrepresented to you, this is an open case, and we will address all factual issues in court through the appropriate legal process.

MCAO did not respond to a follow-up question asking to clarify what facts the office believed were apparently being misrepresented.

Hear from ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing as he breaks down what went into his reporting and more on the case in the video player below.

Dave@ABC15.com