Christian Diaz Rendon’s family is still reeling in the absence of their beloved patriarch.
On Jan. 26, an armed intruder broke into the family home, firing his gun and shooting one of Diaz Rendon’s children in the ankle before being disarmed by Diaz Rendon, according to his stepson Jarvis Rosas Gonzalez.
The family called 911 for help. But when officers arrived, they found more tragedy instead of relief.
Officer Jason Valenzuela fired a single shot through the open front door, striking Diaz Rendon in the head and killing him at the scene, according to Rosas Gonzalez. Valenzuela told investigators he believed Diaz Rendon was the armed threat. Body camera footage shows Diaz Rendon pinning the intruder to the ground as the officer fired.
After a months-long investigation, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell offered condolences to the family, calling it an “absolutely tragic and heartbreaking situation” before announcing her office would not press charges against Valenzuela. Mitchell said the officer reasonably believed there was an imminent danger and that the mistaken identity factored into the decision not to charge.
“Based on all of the evidence, Officer Valenzuela reasonably believed that there was an imminent danger to others and that he had no choice but to fire his weapon to protect them,” Mitchell said. “The decision to use force is evaluated based on what the officer knew at the time, even if the facts turned out to be wrong in hindsight.”
The family held an emotional press conference on May 7 outside Phoenix City Hall, criticizing Mitchell’s decision.
“Christian was my partner, my soulmate, and the father, not only to our biological daughter, but he also raised my children as his own,” said Mariana Gonzalez, Diaz’s partner. “Christian did what Phoenix police should have done — he disarmed and subdued the intruder while protecting everyone inside the home.”
She continued, saying Valenzuela acted “recklessly” and without concern for the safety of others. Her statement was translated from Spanish.
David Chami, the family’s attorney, called the decision not to charge “a slap in the face to a family who watched Officer Valenzuela murder Christian Diaz with a single shot to the head,” before asking Attorney General Kris Mayes to step in.
A spokesperson for Mayes’ office declined to comment.
Family members and supporters wore shirts and necklaces bearing Diaz Rendon’s name and photo.
Chami said Mitchell’s decision was “providing cover” for Phoenix police and argued there is a clear conflict of interest between the county attorney’s office and the department.
“The Phoenix Police Department has been under investigation by the Department of Justice, and they have failed to take necessary steps to protect Arizonans,” Chami said.
A spokesperson for Mitchell’s office called the incident “tragic” but said the decision not to charge Valenzuela was sound.
“The officer’s split-second decision was made in the middle of a chaotic situation, and Arizona law and U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the use of force are clear: prosecutors must evaluate the situation as the officer understood it in the heat of the moment, even if the facts turn out to be wrong in hindsight. The decision not to file charges was made after a careful evaluation of all the available evidence, including body-worn camera footage, departmental reports, radio traffic, and interviews,” the statement read.
The spokesperson also disputed Chami’s claim of a conflict of interest between the county attorney’s office and Phoenix police.
“We work closely with law enforcement, as is the nature of the criminal justice system, but this in no way influences the decisions made in this office, and there is no conflict of interest in this situation,” the spokesperson said. “If a crime is committed and we believe it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt so that a jury will unanimously agree, we will charge the person responsible.”
The spokesperson also added that Mitchell would reconsider if new evidence emerged, and said Mitchell, not Mayes, has jurisdiction over cases involving law enforcement.
In June 2024, the Justice Department released findings from a three-year investigation into the Phoenix Police Department, concluding that officers used excessive and unjustified deadly force, discriminated against Black, Hispanic and Native American people, and unlawfully detained people experiencing homelessness. The Trump administration closed that investigation in May 2025 and retracted its findings — though Phoenix has said it will continue its reform efforts.
According to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit that tracks law enforcement data, Arizona has among the highest rates of police killings in the country so far this year, with Black, Native American, and Hispanic residents more likely to be killed by police than white residents.
A pattern of violence
Ben Laughlin, co-director of Poder in Action, a community advocacy group, said the violence from Phoenix police was nothing new.
“This family should not be here today. These children should not be here without their father. For far too long, Phoenix police have been profiling, brutalizing and killing the people who live here,” Laughlin said. “Since 2013, Phoenix police have killed over 190 community members, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, teenagers, elders, friends and loved ones.”
The officer acted with “gross and reckless disregard for the safety of the same person he was meant to protect,” Chami said, adding that officers are held to higher standards of care. Valenzuela, he said, failed that standard “miserably.”
A family’s grief
“We’re still looking at that door, expecting his knock, expecting him to come in, expecting him to give us a hug,” Rosas Gonzalez said. “And we hear silence. We’re looking at that door and there’s never a knock. We feel like there’s a part of us missing every time that we don’t see his truck, see his face, hear his laugh. That’s the part that stings the most.”
For the family, the decision not to charge only deepens the pain.
In a translated statement, Gonzalez mourned her partner and urged Mitchell to charge Valenzuela, not the intruder, Edgar Garcia, in Diaz Rendon’s death. Garcia has been indicted on 11 felony charges including first-degree murder under Arizona’s felony murder law — a provision that allows a defendant to face murder charges if someone dies during a dangerous felony, even if they didn’t fire the fatal shot.
“He shot my best friend, my partner, killing him instantly, and he did so in front of his family, to make matters worse,” Gonzalez said. “I’m here to demand that Rachel Mitchell reconsider her decision and charge Jason Valenzuela. I’m here to demand that she does not attempt to charge Edgar Garcia with the murder of my beloved. Do not exacerbate this injustice with another injustice.”
Nearby, 7-year-old Bonnie Diaz held a sign reading “justice for my dad,” before crying into her mother’s arms.
“We’re sad, we’re tired, we’re scared, we’re angry, we’re confused,” Rosas Gonzalez said. “We don’t know who’s going to protect us now that he’s gone, we don’t know who to trust and who’s going to defend us if the police can’t even do it.”
The family also filed a $25 million notice of claim against the city of Phoenix and Officer Valenzuela in February — a precursor to a lawsuit. Valenzuela remains on administrative duty and is still under an internal Phoenix police investigation. The family’s attorney said he intends to pursue a civil lawsuit.
