Phoenix Homeowner Tony Arambula Shot Six Times By Police After Calling 911 For Help

June 28, 2026

Phoenix Homeowner Tony Arambula Shot Six Times By Police After Calling 911 For Help.

Anthony “Tony” Arambula called 911 during a terrifying home invasion, reportedly believing police were coming to help him protect his family from an armed intruder. Instead, according to court filings and news reports, a Phoenix police officer shot Arambula six times after mistaking the homeowner for the suspect.

The incident happened on September 17, 2008, after an armed man crashed through the front window of the Arambula family’s Phoenix home. According to reports, the intruder had a 9mm handgun and ran into the bedroom of one of Arambula’s children. Arambula, trying to protect his wife and children, retrieved his own handgun, confronted the intruder, and called 911 while holding the man at gunpoint.

According to ABC News, Arambula expected responding officers to recognize that he was the homeowner who had called for help. Instead, Phoenix Police Officer Brian Lilly entered the home and shot Arambula six times before realizing he had shot the wrong person.

The lawsuit filed by the Arambula family alleged that the shooting was followed by an attempted cover-up. Courthouse News Service reported that the family claimed the 911 call continued recording after the shooting and captured officers discussing what had happened. The complaint alleged that Sgt. Sean Coutts told Officer Lilly, “Don’t worry about it. I got your back. … We clear?”

According to Phoenix New Times, the lawsuit alleged that Lilly later told internal affairs investigators that Arambula had pointed a gun in his direction. Arambula disputed that version of events, saying he was facing away from the officers and that he was still on the phone with the 911 operator when he was shot.

The same report said the lawsuit accused police of treating the Arambula family like suspects after the shooting, including keeping Arambula’s wife and children away from him at the hospital until investigators could interview him. The family also alleged that police attempted to damage Arambula’s reputation and shift blame away from the officer who shot him.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the Phoenix Police Department’s Use of Force Board found that Officer Lilly did not violate department policy. Phoenix New Times reported that some board members believed the shooting was difficult to avoid because of the fast-moving emergency scene.

The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association also defended the officer’s actions, telling ABC News that officers felt terrible about what happened but believed the officer’s response was reasonable under department policy. The police union also disputed portions of the family’s account, including the claim that Arambula was shot in the back.

Arambula survived the shooting but reportedly faced long-term pain and injuries. His family initially sought at least $5.75 million in damages. A later Arizona legal analysis reported that the case settled for $1.75 million, making it one of the larger Phoenix police shooting payouts from that period. Burns, Nickerson & Taylor, PLC described the case as involving a homeowner who was shot six times before police realized he was not the intruder.

The Arambula case remains a disturbing example of what can happen when police respond to a chaotic emergency without clearly identifying the people involved. A homeowner called 911 because an armed man had invaded his home. He protected his family, held the intruder until police arrived, and then became the person police shot.

For critics of police accountability systems, the case also raises a familiar question: how can an officer shoot the person who called for help, face allegations of a recorded post-shooting cover-up, and still be cleared by an internal use-of-force process?

Sources