Lawsuit alleges Phoenix police killed father defending his home

A wrongful-death lawsuit accuses Phoenix police of killing a Valley father who was subduing a man who allegedly forced his way into the father’s home.

Officer Jason Valenzuela shot Christian Diaz Rendon in January immediately after ordering him to show his hands, according to the lawsuit. Diaz Rendon was not the person officers were looking for.

The federal lawsuit was filed Sept. 29 and includes a long list of civil counts against Valenzuela, the city and other members of the Phoenix Police Department.

The 13 counts include excessive deadly force, wrongful death, unreasonable seizure, assault, false imprisonment, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and negligence related to hiring and training procedures.

Some of those counts are specifically against Valenzuela on behalf of Rendon. Others are against the city or other officers on behalf of friends and family who witnessed the shooting.

David Chami, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said, “We decided each and every person who witnessed the crime, because I believe it was a crime, should be a plaintiff.”

While Chami filed a $25 million notice of claim against the city of Phoenix earlier this year, the complaint asks for compensation to be determined at trial.

In a statement to KTAR News 92.3 FM, a city of Phoenix spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing ongoing litigation.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office declined in April to prosecute Valenzuela.

County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said she did not believe there was a reasonable likelihood of conviction.

Chami said the incident is not a one-off but indicative of failing training policies and a pattern of excessive force at the Phoenix Police Department.

“‘Show me your hands’ should be a command to give the person the opportunity to stop whatever they’re doing and comply,” Chami said. “You can’t comply if within less than a second of that command, you shoot the person.”

A home invasion, then a fatal police shooting

As outlined in the lawsuit, the Jan. 26 shooting of Rendon was preceded by another violent incident: A man had fired into Rendon’s home and forced his way inside.

That prompted a 911 call, and officers were dispatched. The man they were looking for was Edgar Ledezma Garcia.

Officers moved quickly after arriving, and body-camera footage from the incident shows two men in the doorway of the home. Rendon was on top of Garcia, punching him.

Valenzuela ordered Rendon to show his hands and fired immediately after giving the command.

He later told Arizona Department of Public Safety investigators he believed Rendon was stabbing the man beneath him. Rendon was not armed.

In a recording shared by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Valenzuela talked to investigators after the shooting.

“At that point, I knew, like I had no doubt, I had to shoot that guy. Because everybody was … making it sound like this guy was a threat and he was killing everybody inside … So yeah, I mean, you know, I shot him.”

However, the lawsuit claims multiple people, including 911 callersI’m sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.

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