Phoenix police confirm man killed by officer was not original suspect in January 26 shooting

What Phoenix police say happened

Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said the man fatally shot by an officer during a January 26, 2026 call in west Phoenix was not the individual officers were originally responding to confront. The chief said the man who died had disarmed the person believed to have fired shots at a home and at family members.

The shooting occurred near the area of 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road shortly after 6 p.m. Police were dispatched after a caller reported that a man was shooting at a home and that gunfire had struck a family member. After officers arrived, a person at the scene told them someone was “shooting people” and urged them to go inside, authorities said.

Police said one officer ran toward the home and fired a single round from a duty rifle through an open doorway. Inside, officers found two men who had been shot. One of those men was pronounced dead at the scene and another was transported to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. A third man was detained and taken to a hospital for injuries that were not related to gunshots.

Identity of the man killed and the key clarification

The man killed was identified as 36-year-old Christian Diaz Rendon. The chief said the information available so far indicates Diaz Rendon had been engaged in a violent struggle with the armed suspect and had taken the firearm away before he was shot.

In his public statement, Giordano said the department would continue to support the state investigation and that a Critical Incident Briefing video would be released within days.

Investigations underway

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is conducting the criminal investigation into the officer-involved shooting. The Phoenix Police Department said it will also conduct an internal administrative review after the state investigation is complete, through the department’s Professional Standards Bureau, to evaluate whether policies, training and expectations were followed.

What is expected next

• Release of a Critical Incident Briefing, expected to include body-worn camera video related to the event.

• Completion of the state-led criminal investigation.

• A subsequent internal administrative investigation assessing compliance with Phoenix Police procedures.

Giordano said the department recognizes that questions remain about the officer’s actions and about the suspect tied to the aggravated assault that prompted the initial call.