Father killed by Chandler police after allegedly threatening young daughter on New Year’s Day

PHOENIX — The Chandler Police Department on Friday identified the man who was shot and killed by officers in Chandler on New Year’s Day.

The suspect, 40-year-old Gerald Lee Philpot Jr., allegedly called police and made threats to harm his 7-year-old daughter, who was in the vehicle with him while he made the call around 5:45 p.m. Thursday, police said.

Dispatch routed the call to an on-duty crisis negotiator, who tried to deescalate the situation.

Despite those efforts, Philpot allegedly continued making threats toward his daughter, police said. Officers later located his vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near McQueen Road and Chandler Boulevard.

After pulling Philpot over, officers urged him to let his daughter leave the vehicle. However, he allegedly continued threatening the child, telling officers he had a blade in his possession, police said.

Two officers opened fire on Philpot due to an imminent threat to his daughter’s safety, police said.

They then removed the child from the vehicle and attempted life-saving measures, but Philpot was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Investigators later found a knife in the vehicle. The child was not harmed and was returned safely to her mother.

No officers were harmed in the incident.

The Mesa Police Department is investigating the police shooting as part of the East Valley Critical Incident Response Team.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Bailey Leasure contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Jan. 1, 2026.

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