On Friday October 2, 2015 at approximately 8:00 pm, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office was advised of a domestic violence situation in the 5000 block of South Mountainside Lane in Hereford, south of Sierra Vista.
Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene and located a woman and children who advised that there was a physical altercation and her 28 year old husband had left the area in his vehicle. The woman advised that her husband was distraught and made several comments regarding not wanting law enforcement contact.
An attempt to locate was issued to local law enforcement agencies as a Welfare Check for the husband, and a Patagonia Marshal Deputy observed a vehicle matching the description in the Highway 82 area near Patagonia. An attempt to stop the vehicle was unsuccessful as the driver came back towards Tombstone through to Sierra Vista and in several residential neighborhoods on the east side of town, before ultimately stopping behind a church on Avenida Del Sol.
While law enforcement officers were following the vehicle, the driver reportedly fired shots out of the window towards Deputies while in Sierra Vista which caused concern for the safety of residents in the area.
After the vehicle parked behind the church, attempts were made to speak with the driver who would not come out of the vehicle. Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Sierra Vista Police Department and SVPD Special Weapons and Tactical Unit, as well as US Border Patrol ground and air support were securing the scene while contact was attempted with the driver.
Shortly after 11:00 pm David M. Diaz 28 of Hereford fired several shots one of which struck a tactical vehicle occupied by several officers. Diaz was subsequently shot by Cpl. Jeremy Wolf a 14 year veteran of the Sierra Vista Police Department. Diaz was killed during the incident. No officers were injured in the shooting. Cpl Wolf has been placed on administrative leave per Sierra Vista Police Department policy.