On February 16, 2020, in a west Phoenix neighborhood, Juan Damian Diaz, a 33-year-old Hispanic/Latino male from Phoenix, Arizona, was shot and killed in what police described as a drive-by-style attack that unfolded after he and a friend picked up their girlfriends from work. According to police and local news reports, the shooting happened in the early morning hours, around 2 a.m., in a residential cul-de-sac in the area of 75th Avenue and Thomas Road.
Diaz died at the scene from his wounds, and his death was later noted on national gun-violence memorial sites as a fatal shooting on that date in Phoenix.
Investigators said the confrontation grew out of an ongoing feud between two women who worked together. That night, Diaz picked up his girlfriend from her workplace, and a 25-year-old friend arrived in a separate vehicle to pick up his own girlfriend, who was also involved in the dispute. Police said 24-year-old Gabriel Munoz, traveling with his girlfriend, followed the two men and their passengers after they left the workplace. When Diaz realized they were being followed, both vehicles tried to get away and turned onto a side street that turned out to be a cul-de-sac, where the pursuing car caught up with them.
From there, according to court and police summaries reported by local media, Munoz opened fire from his vehicle, striking both Diaz and the 25-year-old. Witnesses told police they saw a laser pointer coming from the shooter’s gun aimed toward one of the women; at that moment, Diaz reportedly pushed her out of the line of fire and, in doing so, was hit by additional rounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim was shot multiple times, including in the arm, knee, and hip; despite his injuries, he was able to apply a tourniquet to his own arm before being transported to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition but was expected to survive. None of the women in the vehicles were physically injured in the attack.
Police said Munoz initially fled the area in his car but was later located and taken into custody. He was booked into jail and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, drive-by shooting, and related felony counts, and held on a bond reported to be $1.5 million while the case moved forward. Public reporting available from that time focuses on the arrest and charging decision and does not clearly document the final outcome of the court proceedings, but case-tracking and advocacy sites list Diaz’s homicide as “solved,” reflecting that a suspect was identified and charged.
Online memorials and fundraising pages created by family and friends describe Diaz as a gentle, caring father who was deeply devoted to his three children and close to his parents and sister. Loved ones wrote that he was “robbed of life by a senseless act of violence” and remembered him as a loving son, brother, and grandson whose energy and presence are profoundly missed. A funeral-expense fundraiser noted that his parents and extended family were left to plan his services in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, while community members and strangers alike contributed messages of condolence and financial support in his name.
