Phoenix, AZ – Kelly & Lyons, PLLC has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Maria Munoz, the mother of Christopher Phillips, who was fatally shot in the back by a Phoenix police officer on January 17, 2025. The suit alleges unlawful use of deadly force and violations of Phillips’ constitutional rights.

The complaint states Officer William Rodriguez Gallardo was responding to a trespassing call when Phillips fled the property on foot. The officer pursued Phillips in his patrol car and, without warning, shot him from behind. Phillips posed no threat to officers or the public.

“They shouldn’t have shot my son,” Maria Munoz, Christopher’s mother, said. “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.”

The lawsuit seeks damages under both federal and state law, including claims for wrongful death, excessive force under the Fourth Amendment, and deprivation of familial relationship under the Fourteenth Amendment. The City of Phoenix is also named for its failure to properly train and supervise its officers.

“This police officer shot Chris in the back from long distance, when Chris was running away and not threatening anybody,” Richard Lyons, Partner at Kelly & Lyons, said. “Ever since the Justice Department abandoned its investigation in May of 2025 and let the Phoenix Police Department off the hook, City of Phoenix police officers have been killing people more than ever before, and almost always for no reason whatsoever.  It needs to stop.”

View the complaint, bodycam footage, and incident report here.