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All the people Phoenix cops have killed in 2024

Under U.S. Justice Department scrutiny, Phoenix police have killed more people in 2024 than they did in 2023.
Image: A Phoenix police car
Phoenix police have killed eight people so far in 2024. They killed 12 people in 2023 and 10 in 2022. Matt Hennie

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So far in 2024, Phoenix police officers have shot and killed 14 people, surpassing their death toll of 12 from 2023. In 2022, there were 10 fatal shootings by Phoenix cops.

The latest fatal police shootings come after the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into the Phoenix Police Department, which concluded in June. The report found that Phoenix police regularly committed a litany of civil rights violations, including discriminating against people of color, using excessive and unnecessarily deadly force and arresting unhoused people without cause. Phoenix police Chief Michael Sullivan was brought in to lead the department in September 2022 as it dealt with the probe.

The city of Phoenix has publicly pushed back against any independent oversight sought by the Justice Department. But the resignation in 2024 of the head of Phoenix's Office of Accountability and Transparency and the creation of a watered-down civilian review board call into question the city's ability to regulate its own police department.

Here is a rundown of all the people killed this year by Phoenix police. Where applicable, click each name for a full story on each shooting.

Junior Reyes, 30

Officers shot and killed Reyes on Jan. 5 after Reyes fired at officers, injuring one. Police said they were attempting to arrest Reyes, who was wanted on a felony warrant.

John Michael Lewis Jr., 43

Officers shot and killed Lewis Jr. on Jan. 11 in what started as a welfare check. Police said they tried to contact people through the back door of Lewis' house when Lewis appeared and produced a handgun. Police shot Lewis, and he was pronounced dead at his house.

Guy Vogel Jr., 42

Officers shot and killed Vogel Jr. on Jan. 27 after responding to a call that a store had been robbed and guns were taken. Police found Vogel and a woman, who they believed were the suspects. The officers gave verbal commands and fired a nonlethal launcher at Vogel, who fled and then produced a handgun. Police responded by firing at and hitting Vogel. Vogel was taken to a hospital, where he died from injuries.

Miguel Godines, 37

An officer shot and killed Godines on Feb. 13. The incident began after officers spotted a car driving at high speed out of a parking lot. Following a chase and apparent attempts by Godines to steal other cars, police said Godines pointed a gun at one of them. An officer then shot Godines, who was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Christopher Tavares, 27

An officer shot and killed Tavares on May 7 after firing 29 shots at him, according to body camera footage. Police said Tavares shot at and struck the officer’s vehicle as the officer was pursuing him on suspicion of shoplifting. He was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead.

Devin Montgomery, 23

Police shot and killed Montgomery on May 16 outside his apartment while officers were attempting to arrest him for his alleged role in a fatal shooting earlier in the day. According to police, Montgomery fired at police and struck their vehicle before officers fired back and hit him. Montgomery was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Sergio Francisco Alvarez, 48

An officer shot and killed Alvarez on May 28 after stopping him for a traffic violation on his bike around 3 a.m. at 10th Street and Southern Avenue. Alvarez, who repeatedly asked why he'd been stopped, allegedly shot one of the two officers who was attempting to hold him to the ground. Alvarez was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries. The officer who was shot was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Joshua Main, 27

Police shot and killed Main on June 2 while responding to a report of an armed robbery at 13th Street and Palm Lane. Two officers arrived around 2 p.m. and found a man in an alleyway on a motorcycle, which he allegedly stole minutes earlier. A police advisory said that as the officers exited their vehicle, Main raised a handgun toward the officers, prompting them to fire. Neither officer was injured, and Main was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Imani Jackson, 46

Police shot and killed Jackson in the early morning hours of Aug. 10 after receiving a report that a man was threatening several people and firing a gun near 27th Avenue and Van Buren Street. A police advisory said officers were provided details about the car in which Jackson allegedly fled, which they found nearby. Police said Jackson, while being stopped, took off on foot and was reaching toward his waistband when police opened fire, though Jackson was obscured in the critical moments of body-cam footage released by police. Police hit Jackson with at least one shot, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. A gun also was recovered at the scene, police said..

Essex Jackson, 31

Police shot and killed Jackson around 8 p.m. on Oct. 20. Police body camera video showed Jackson taking control of an officer's Taser and using it on the officer after a chase through a Dollar Tree store on 36th Avenue and Glendale Avenue. The officers were dispatched after receiving a call about an intoxicated man with a large, sheathed knife trespassing in the store. They arrived, chasing Jackson into a stockroom. When they tried to handcuff him, he escaped their grasp and ran toward the front of the store. Officer Ryan Small fired six shots after being shocked by the Taser, killing Jackson.

Carlos Fregoso, 41

Fregoso was shot and killed by police on Nov. 4 after two officers responded to an alleged home invasion near 15th Avenue and Broadway Road. According to a department press release, the person who called 911 to report the invasion said “a man was forcing his way into the home and was armed with a handgun.” Officers arrived to find a truck leaving the scene and tried to pull the driver over, but he kept driving. After a pursuit, Fregoso crashed into a “short block wall” before getting out and running toward a house with what police said was a gun in his hand. When he reached the driveway, police said Fregoso pointed the gun at them, so they opened fire, killing him.

Rey David Martinez, 29

Police shot and killed Martinez on Nov. 5. At around 11:20 a.m., police received a call about a man "doing drugs" in an alley near 3rd Street and Clarendon Avenue. Officers arrived and located Martinez in the alley behind the house, instructing him to remove his left hand from his pocket. After not complying, body camera footage shows Martinez took out what police said was a gun and pointed it at an officer. Two cops shot Martinez, who died at the scene. The officers then determined the object Martinez was holding was a replica gun and not an actual firearm.

Saul Loya, 48

Police killed Loya on Thanksgiving. At 10:20 p.m. on Nov. 28, officers were called to 83rd Avenue and McDowell Road, where Loya was allegedly harassing someone else. The caller also reported that Loya was potentially armed and provided a description of the vehicle he was driving. When police arrived, they tried to conduct a traffic stop but said Loya accelerated and drove off. A police helicopter tracked the car to a nearby neighborhood, where police said Loya got out and ran into the backyard of a house. While cops surrounded the perimeter, an officer with a rifle saw Loya, who allegedly had a gun in his hand and raised it, prompting the officer to shoot at him. According to police, Loya was hit with at least one bullet and died on the scene. A full briefing on the incident is expected by Dec. 12.

Marion Joyner, 62

Police said they were called to a Whataburger near 28th Avenue and Thunderbird Road just after 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 18, after Joyner walked into the restaurant with a rifle. Police said Joyner ordered customers and employees to leave the building. A 20-minute standoff ensued, which ended when Joyner began firing at police through the restaurant windows, according to footage captured on in-store surveillance cameras. According to police, Joyner hit a cop car but no officers. Police sent a drone into the restaurant and shot and killed Joyner when he raised his rifle at it. Joyner was pronounced dead at the scene.