The Montgomery County coroner has identified the East Greenville man who died after being shot by an Upper Perk police officer. Gabriel Diaz, 55, of Cherry Street, was pronounced dead at 12:05 a.m. on Sept. 15 following an incident at his residence.

            The officer shot Diaz after he charged at police while armed with a machete and hatchet. Another officer tased the suspect in an attempt to stop him before the shooting, according to a news release from the District Attorney's office.

            The Upper Perk officer has been placed on administrative leave per the necessary protocol, according to Pennsburg Mayor Charles Shagg. He said East Greenville's officers were in charge of the scene since the incident occurred in their jurisdiction.  Upper Perk Police Chief Joe Adam Jr. did not return an email message.

            At 8:08 p.m. on Sept. 14, East Greenville Police responded to a domestic-related call in the 100 block of Cherry Street after an 18-year-old called 911 to report a physical assault.

            Officers arrived to find Diaz barricaded in the basement of the home and threatening to harm law enforcement. Additional police from multiple agencies responded, according to the information from Kate Delano, the DA's director of communications.

            Police made numerous attempts to negotiate with Diaz. At 11:30 p.m., officers breached the basement door to find the man armed with a machete and hatchet. He charged at police officers and refused police commands to drop the weapons, according to the release.

            A coroner's report released Monday states that the escalation ultimately led to officers discharging their weapons, and that medical intervention was immediately administered to the decedent. It identifies the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds, one to the chest and one to the shoulder, and the manner of death as homicide.

            Per protocol for officer-involved shootings in the county, Montgomery County Detectives responded to the scene to investigate the shooting. County officials are not releasing the name of the involved officer.

            Diaz, a father of six, was born in Bethlehem. A neighbor claimed she would interact occasionally with Diaz since they have children of similar ages.

            Nicole Grove, a Cherry Street resident, started a GoFundMe page for the family. She set the goal of $5,000. "I know they could use it," Grove said. "They are going to need all the help they can get."

            This is the second time in less than four years that an officer from the Pennsburg department fatally shot a suspect. In March 2021, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele cleared a Pennsburg police officer of any wrongdoing and the county's detective bureau characterized the Feb. 9, 2021 shooting of Trey Bartholomew, 27, of Valley Court, as a lawful use of force.

            In December 2022, Pennsburg council approved a separation agreement with Harry Fisher, the officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Bartholomew. The members also voted unanimously to grant him an honorable discharge "given his permanent inability to perform the duties of a police officer due to the service-related injury he sustained on Feb. 9, 2021," according to the language of a motion on the meeting agenda.

            Shagg disclosed that Fisher fired the fatal shot after Bartholomew charged an officer while wielding a samurai-type sword in the area of East Eighth Street and Long Alley. An independent investigation determined that the facts of the case supported the use of deadly force, according to the statement delivered three years ago by Delano.

            The officer was placed on administrative leave following the incident. He never returned to active duty.

            The East Greenville incident remains an active investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Montgomery County Detectives at 610-278-3368.