GLENDALE, AZ — A civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the family of a man who was wrongfully shot by Glendale Police Department officers last year.
One year ago, on Jan. 8, 2025, officers were called to Horizon Park, near 47th and Glendale avenues, to search for a man believed to be involved in a domestic violence incident. Dillon Siebeck, who was not involved in the original incident, was at the park and was shot by officers.
He died from his injuries.
“Dillon Siebeck should be alive,” law firm Romanucci & Blandin said, noting that he was “tragically and sloppily mistaken” despite being “unarmed and peaceful.”
Eight counts in the lawsuit, filed against the city of Glendale and two involved officers, include excessive force, wrongful death, and failure to render aid, intervene, and supervise.
See a copy of the filing of the lawsuit here.
The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that police failed to render medical aid to Siebeck for 19 minutes after he was shot four times.
“The wrongful death of Dillon Siebeck is, unfortunately, a textbook example of excessive force violations by police. This man was unarmed and did not present any type of threat to the officers. He was not a suspect in a crime and was minding his own business. Dillon’s loss of life was completely needless. We will pursue full accountability for what happened that evening in Glendale,” said Antonio M. Romanucci, a Founding Partner of Romanucci & Blandin.
In response to the lawsuit, Glendale PD told ABC15 that one of the officers, Juan Gonzales, was fired after MCAO declined pressing charges. A police spokesperson said the firing was because Gonzales "could potentially be a safety risk to our community" if he stayed on the force.
Peoria police said the suspect, whom officers were looking for in connection with the domestic violence incident, was eventually found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his vehicle. He was later pronounced dead.
Videos in the player above highlight our previous coverage of this story.
Officials say there was no known connection between Siebeck and the suspect.
A relative previously told ABC15 that Siebeck was an Army veteran and a dad. Court records showed he had struggled with serious mental health issues and substance abuse. He had been released from an Arizona prison nine days before the shooting.
When contacted by ABC15 this week about legal developments in the Siebeck case, a Glendale city spokesperson said the city does not comment on active litigation.
A spokesperson from the Glendale Police Department released the following statement:
As for officer who was involved in this shooting, Juan Gonzales, when this incident occurred it was investigated by the Peoria Police Department. They (Peoria PD) took their results and turned that information over to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office who determined at that time they would not be pursuing charges against Mr. Gonzales. A “Response to Resistance” board, as well as, a Citizen’s Review panel met and reviewed information pertaining to this case. We took the results from those two groups, we (the City of Glendale and the Glendale Police Department) chose to terminate the employment of Mr. Gonzales on the grounds that we felt the shooting was outside of policy and keeping him as public safety officer could potentially be a safety risk to our community. I have attached the letter given to Mr. Gonzales by City Manager Kevin Phelps regarding his termination from the City and the Glendale Police Department.
As for Sgt. Josh Anderkin, he remains an active member of the Glendale Police Department. As with pending litigation, we do not comment on personnel situations.
Last April, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against the officer who shot Siebeck.
