Everyone who has died after a run-in with Phoenix cops in 2025

In the first two months of 2025, four people have died during or after interactions with Phoenix police — three of whom were shot and killed.

Last year, Phoenix police officers shot and killed 14 people, surpassing the death toll of 12 in 2023 and 10 in 2022.

The increase in killings came while the U.S. Department of Justice wrapped up a three-year investigation of Phoenix cops by publishing a blistering report in June 2024. The report found that Phoenix police regularly committed 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 hired on an interim basis in September 2022 to lead the department as it dealt with the probe. Sullivan’s contract expires in August and the city is currently searching to find a new chief to start in September.

Officials in Phoenix, including Mayor Kate Gallego and city councilmembers, have pushed back against the notion that its police force requires independent oversight, arguing that the city was making strides in implementing reforms. The city recently adopted a new use-of-force policy but also undercut the chief of its Office of Accountability and Transparency and watered down its civilian review board. With the election of Donald Trump in November, any possibility of federal court-enforced reform became toast.

Here’s a rundown of all the people who died this year as a result of interactions with Phoenix police. When available, full stories about the deaths are linked to the names.

Turrell Clay, 33

Mystery still surrounds Clay’s death, which happened after Phoenix police officers arrested him on Jan. 10 on an out-of-state warrant for a parole violation. Clay was shot by police repeatedly with less-lethal projectile weapons while he was on top of a roof. While recoiling in pain, officers screamed at him to get off the roof. He inched to the edge and fell to the ground, after which officers pounced and immediately began beating him.

Police said they recovered a gun on the scene, though it is unclear if they knew he was armed during the confrontation.

Footage from a critical incident briefing does not provide any footage or audio of what transpired after Clay was taken into custody. According to police, Clay said he was struggling to breathe, prompting police to take him to a hospital, where he died during surgery.

Christopher Phillips, 45

On Jan. 17, a Phoenix cop shot and killed Phillips while he was running away with a single rifle shot. Police said Phillips pointed a gun at an officer, but footage from a body camera released by the department doesn’t clearly show that. Police said they received complaints about “multiple trespassers in an abandoned home.” When cops arrived, Phillips jumped a fence and ran from police. After being shot, Phillips died at a hospital.

David Garcia, 41

On Feb. 12, Phoenix police received a report that Garcia was forcing a woman into his vehicle at gunpoint near I-10 and 51st Avenue. Hours later, officers located Garcia and the woman in Mesa. Following his truck into Gilbert, police said they unsuccessfully tried to immobilize it, after which Garcia made a U-turn and shot at officers. The officers used several cars to stop the truck and four of them fired at the truck, hitting Garcia, who later died at a hospital. Police removed the woman from the car and discovered she had a gunshot wound. According to Gilbert police, who are investigating the incident, a Mesa police ballistic exam indicated that the bullet fragments in the woman were from Garcia’s gun.

Dominic Gracia, 31

Gracia was shot and killed while trying to hide in a recycling bin, according to police. Just after midnight on Feb. 19, an officer patrolling South Phoenix saw a red truck speeding and attempted to pull the driver over, according to police. Gracia ran into a neighborhood while leaving the truck in drive as it drifted toward a house. The officer stopped the truck. Other officers arrived with a canine unit to search the area, finding Gracia in the bin. Body-worn camera footage showed Gracia poking his hand out and blindly firing one shot from a handgun, prompting two officers to fire a dozen bullets at him.