Relatives say they called police seeking help for Johnathan Delgado during a mental health crisis before officers fatally shot him.
PHOENIX, AZ — The family of 20-year-old Johnathan Delgado is demanding answers after Phoenix police officers shot and killed him Sunday morning while responding to a report that he was experiencing a mental health crisis and harming himself with a knife.
Police said officers were called shortly after 11 a.m. Sept. 6 to an alley near 18th Avenue and Cheryl Drive in north Phoenix after a family member reported that Delgado was trying to hurt himself. Authorities said officers found him holding a knife and appearing to injure himself. His relatives say they called because they wanted police to help him, not because they believed he posed a threat to other people.
Phoenix police Sgt. John Buchanan said officers repeatedly ordered Delgado to drop the knife, but he did not comply. Police said Delgado began walking toward officers, prompting them to use a Taser. Authorities said the Taser was ineffective and Delgado then ran toward officers. Two officers opened fire, striking him. Police rendered aid, but Delgado died at the scene. Officers later recovered a knife from the alley.
Delgado’s aunt, Magdalena Mojica, told FOX 10 Phoenix that she made the call for help because her nephew was not mentally stable and was trying to harm himself. His mother, Nancy Marquez, said her son was not threatening anyone else. Their account does not dispute that Delgado had a knife, but the family is questioning whether officers could have taken additional steps to calm the situation before using deadly force.
Mojica said she witnessed the confrontation and heard three shots. She later expressed regret about calling police, saying she believed officers were coming to help her nephew. Marquez described her son as a good person, while relatives said they did not believe he intended to attack officers. Police, however, said Delgado ran toward officers after the Taser failed, creating the circumstances that led two officers to fire.
A nearby resident, David Guerrero, gave Arizona’s Family a separate eyewitness account. Guerrero said he saw a man with a knife running in the alley while officers followed. He said the man appeared focused on harming himself and that officers raised their weapons before gunfire erupted. Guerrero said he heard five shots, though he could not determine how many officers fired. Police have said two officers discharged their weapons.
No officers or other members of the public were injured, police said. Authorities have not publicly released the names of the officers who fired, and officials have not yet released body-worn camera footage showing the confrontation. Police said that footage is expected to be released within two weeks under the department’s transparency procedures.
The shooting is now under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Major Incident Division. That review is expected to examine the actions of the officers and the circumstances immediately before the gunfire. Authorities have not announced conclusions about whether the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified, and no final investigative findings had been released as of Monday.
The case has left Delgado’s relatives focused on why a call intended to bring help during a mental health crisis ended with his death. Their account and the police description differ most sharply over the threat Delgado posed in the final moments before officers fired. Body-camera footage and the independent investigation could provide additional evidence about the encounter and the officers’ response.
Author note: Last updated September 7, 2026.