Phoenix Police officer kills homeowner who disarmed home invasion suspect

(Previous coverage) Family of Christian Diaz demands justice after fatal shooting

Relatives of Christian Diaz said a Phoenix Police officer fatally shot him as he subdued an armed intruder who broke into his home and wounded his son. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has the details.

PHOENIX - New details from the Phoenix Police Department reveal an officer fatally shot a man who had disarmed a home invasion suspect before police arrived at a home near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road on Jan. 26.

Timeline:

"Multiple 9-1-1 calls came in regarding a man shooting at a house. The first call indicated a man was shooting a neighbor’s home. In the background dispatch can hear the shots being fired," Phoenix Police said.

In one call, Phoenix Police says a caller stated, "somebody shot one of my kids." In another call, the department said a woman told dispatch that someone was shooting her kids, then a man came on the line saying, "there were kids at the location" and then added, "they are pointing the gun at my dad."

Dispatchers heard gunshots ringing out during the calls, and they let the Phoenix Police officers who were on the way know about what was happening.

"When the first officer arrived on scene, several community members pointed him toward a nearby home reporting that children were inside, and somebody was shooting. The officer approached the open front door and reported seeing a struggle. He yelled at the men to show their hands, but neither fully complied. This is when the officer-involved shooting took place," the department said.

Other officers went into the home and found two men who had gunshot wounds. One was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, and the other man was dead at the scene.

A third man was also hurt, but not in the shooting. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

‘He was not the subject of the original call’

"Based on what we now know, the man that was fatally shot had disarmed the individual who had fired shots at the home and other family members," police said. "He was not the subject of the original call."

The officer who shot the man who died is assigned to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct and has been with the department for about five years.

Still from a Phoenix Police officer's body worn camera during a Jan. 26 shooting (left) Christian Diaz (right)

Man Indicted on Charges:

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced that the home invasion suspect, Edgar Ledezma Garcia, was indicted on several felonies, including murder.

"On January 26, 2026, Garcia shot up a home near 75th Avenue and Lower Buckeye in Laveen. He then broke into the home and shot someone inside. Phoenix Police were called out to the home and when officers arrived, one officer shot and killed another person inside the house. Garcia is being prosecuted under felony murder, a law that allows a defendant to be charged with first degree murder if a death occurs during the commission of a dangerous felony."

Garcia is accused of the following charges:

• One count of first-degree murder, a class one dangerous felony
• One count of burglary in the first degree, a class two dangerous felony
• One count of kidnapping, a class two dangerous felony
• One count of discharge of a firearm at a structure, a class two dangerous felony
• Three counts of discharge of a firearm at a structure, a class three dangerous felony
• Three counts of discharge of aggravated assault, a class three dangerous felony
• One count of disorderly conduct, a class six dangerous felony

What's next:

"This incident is the subject of a criminal investigation being conducted by the Major Incident Division of the Department of Public Safety and will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Conclusions about whether the actions of the officers are consistent with department policy and the law will not be made until all facts are known, and the investigation is complete," the Phoenix Police Department said.

Christian Diaz (right)

The Family Speaks Out:

The family of the man who was killed identified him as Christian Diaz – a father and husband.

According to his son, Carlos Recinos, an armed intruder broke into the home just after 6 p.m., shooting Recinos in the ankle before Diaz managed to pin the suspect in a chokehold.

Neighbor Sonya Rodriguez said Diaz’s wife, Mariana Gonzalez, explicitly warned an officer that her husband was holding the intruder down. "You made a mistake," Gonzalez recalled telling the officer. "You shot my husband."

Click here if you'd like to donate to the GoFundMe for Diaz.

Click here to read more about what the family is saying about the shooting.