After father mistakenly killed by Phoenix police, family calls for officer to be behind bars

PHOENIX — After the Phoenix Police Department admitted that an officer killed the wrong man during a response to a reported shooting, the victim’s stepson said the department’s apology feels hollow.

“They didn’t say sorry directly. They said we’re sorry for their loss, but they’re not saying, we’re sorry that this happened,” Jarvis Gonzalez told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.

He spoke a few hours after Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano confirmed Friday that one of his officers wrongly killed 36-year-old Christian Diaz Rendon on Jan. 26 — eleven days after the incident.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones affected,” Giordano said in a Friday statement. “I am deeply sorry for their loss.”

It brought little comfort to Gonzalez, who said his stepfather deserved better.

“It feels like they’re really trying to just dodge any credibility, any responsibility, and it doesn’t really do anything,” Gonzalez said. “They didn’t say who the officer is, they didn’t release body cam footage, they’re not helping at all.”

Giordano said his department would release a Critical Incident Briefing video about the investigation in the next few days.

What happened before Christian Rendon was wrongly killed by police?

Before he was killed, Rendon called police to help with someone shooting at his house near 73rd Drive and Lower Buckeye Road.

Gonzalez said it was the landlord’s son who fired shots at the house.

“He forced himself into the house, where he then shot my little brother in the leg and then my father took care of the situation,” Gonzalez recalled. “He got the guy on the ground. He got the firearm out of his hand, so the firearm was on the floor, far away from them.”

Rendon was holding the intruder down when officers arrived.

“My mother and my little brother tried telling them … ‘The guy that called is up on top. The one on the floor is the one who shot up the house,'” Gonzalez said.

He said a police officer then fired his weapon.

“It hit my father in the jaw, ripping out his neck and his jaw. He hit the floor and then he looked at my mother and he died,” Gonzalez said. “He was terrified, and I can’t imagine the amount of pain that he must have been feeling.”

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is conducting a criminal investigation into the incident.

“My mother tried telling them, ‘You killed the wrong guy. That’s my husband. He just shot my husband,’ and the officer simply shrugged,” Gonzalez said.

Stepson of man shot by Phoenix police calls for accountability

Gonzalez emphasized that he doesn’t understand why the officer shot his stepfather, especially because he looks so different from the man who broke in.

“They gave a description of the man being shirtless, of the man being thinner and the man’s hair,” Gonzalez said. “My father, he’s completely different. He was fully clothed. He didn’t have any hair, and he was a much, much larger guy. More tan as well.”

He said he feels unsafe, adding that he wants to see the Phoenix Police Department ensure this doesn’t happen again.

“What we want is for that officer to lose his badge,” Gonzalez said. “We want him to serve time.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Heidi Hommel contributed to this report.

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