Phoenix Family Raises $26K After Christian Diaz Mistakenly Shot by Police

 PHOENIX, AZ — The family of Christian Diaz, a Phoenix father fatally shot by police while restraining a home intruder, has raised more than $26,000 on GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and provide therapy for his children.

The tragic incident unfolded on January 26, 2026, around 6 p.m. near Lower Buckeye Road and 75th Avenue, when intruder Edgar Ledesma Garcia, the mentally ill son of the family’s landlord, forced entry into the home. According to family members and court records, Garcia fired more than 20 shots inside the residence, wounding Diaz’s stepson in the ankle. Authorities later said Garcia believed someone in the home “wanted him dead.”

Diaz and another man managed to restrain Garcia before calling police. When officers arrived, Diaz’s fiancée Mariana Gonzalez and his stepson reportedly warned them that Diaz was holding the intruder down and pleaded with them not to shoot. Despite the warnings, one officer fired a rifle through the open front door, striking Diaz in the jaw. He crawled to the living room and died moments later.

Phoenix police said they responded to reports of an active shooter and a struggle inside the home but have not confirmed whether the officer’s shot was the fatal one. Garcia was detained at the scene, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety is now investigating the shooting.

Diaz’s stepson, Jarvis Rosas Gonzales, who organized the fundraiser, described him as a devoted father and churchgoer who supported a blended family of 14. “Sorry doesn’t bring back my dad,” Gonzales said, emphasizing the family’s demand for accountability from the officer involved.

The fundraiser, titled “Loving father killed by police being mistaken for intruder,” had raised more than $26,000 by January 31. The funds will go toward funeral costs, therapy for Diaz’s children, and living expenses as the family copes with the sudden loss.

Phoenix police have not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting. Garcia has been charged with murder, and the case remains under investigation.

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