Staff Contributor
‘A pattern that presents a safety risk to our community and your fellow officers’: Glendale officer fired for deadly shooting of bystander’
GLENDALE, Ariz — A Glendale police officer has been fired following a shooting that left a bystander dead.
On Jan. 8, 2025, Glendale police officers responded to Horizon Park in search of a 23-year-old man in relation to a domestic violence call. Officers approached a man seen at a gazebo, believing him to be the 23-year-old they were seeking.
Glendale police claimed the man did not respond to commands and “made a movement towards his waistband,” resulting in an officer firing a fatal gunshot. The deceased man was identified as 46-year-old Dillon Siebeck.
The 23-year-old was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a truck located at the park, according to police.
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office reviewed the deadly shooting and declined to pursue criminal charges against the involved officer.
The City of Glendale declined to comment on the lawsuit but confirmed the officer, Juan Gonzales, had been terminated.
The shooting was investigated by the Peoria Police Department.
Investigators found that they would not pursue criminal charges.
A “Response to Resistance” board, as well as a Citizens’ Review panel, also reviewed the information connected to the case.
The City of Glendale and the police department reviewed the findings from those two groups and decided to terminate Gonzales because they “felt the shooting was outside of policy and keeping him as public safety officer could potentially be a safety risk to our community.”
Interim Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps sent the officer a termination letter in December that stated how the officer’s actions on Jan. 8 “directly resulted in the death of an innocent victim.”
In the letter, Phelps also stated, “I believe these incidents demonstrate a pattern that presents a safety risk to our community and your fellow officers.”
