10 Nov 6th-Nov 12th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Picked Off Woman sues Phoenix cop who fatally shot her son in the back. BY TJ L’HEUREUX O n Jan. 17, a Phoenix police officer shot and killed 45-year-old Christopher Phillips in the back as he was running away, firing a single rifle shot like a hunter in a deer stand. Now the family of Phillips, who was the second person killed by Phoenix cops in 2025, is suing the city and the officer who pulled the trigger, William Rodriguez Gallardo. Last week, Phillips’ mother, Maria Munoz, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court on behalf of herself, her husband and Phillips’ three children, whom she said are 13, 8 and 7 years old. “They shouldn’t have shot my son,” Munoz said in a press release. “Chris was running away and what hurt me so much was how he was left on the ground bleeding, and nobody tried to help him. It’s a pain only a mother can feel.” Phoenix spokesperson Dan Wilson declined to comment on the lawsuit because it is pending litigation. The Phoenix Police Department referred a request for comment on all questions about the killing to the city. Phillips was the first person shot and killed by a Phoenix police firearm this year, though a week before his death, officers killed a man by striking him in the chest multiple times with a powerful “less-lethal” foam projectile, which caused internal bleeding and fatal damage to the man’s heart. According to Cronkite News, the department’s policy for less-lethal launchers is that officers are only supposed to aim for the head, chest, neck and spine “if deadly force is justified.” Footage of Phillips’ killing was released earlier this year by the Phoenix Police Department as part of a “critical incident briefing,” which is highly edited and narrated by an officer. According to that briefing, police had chased Phillips after receiving a report about people trespassing at an abandoned house, though the lawsuit brought by Phillips’ mother claims that Phillips was living there. When officers arrived, police said that several people fled from the property. Cops chased Phillips on foot before returning to their vehicle to pursue him. Gallardo fired the fatal shot as Phillips ran into a neighborhood. In footage from his body-worn camera released by police, Gallardo said that Phillips is wearing a red jacket and “has a gun in his hand,” though the footage does not clearly show a gun. In a second clip from his body camera, Gallardo said, “Oh, he pointed at me, bro,” though a car door blocks the view of Gallardo’s chest- mounted body camera. Gallardo then raised the rifle at Phillips, who was roughly 40-50 yards away, and calmly fired a single thundering shot. Phillips instantly crumpled to the ground. Does the gun matter? As officers rode toward Phillips’ body, Gallardo again said, “He pointed the gun right at me, bro.” Another officer >> p 13 Phoenix police officer William Rodriguez Gallardo shot and killed Christopher Phillips on Jan. 17 as Phillips appeared to be running away. (Phoenix Police Department) | NEWS | | NEWS |
