The Shot Caller

February 18, 2019
Former gang member Diaz unleashes a tale of domestic violence, street savagery, imprisonment, and ultimate redemption in his bold debut. Diaz’s parents moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s from El Salvador to escape the “Squadron of Death” that terrorized their country, but the violence of Diaz’s early life followed him. Seeking a respite from his abusive father and complicit mother, Diaz found acceptance in the streets by joining a gang at age 11. Diaz considers how and why he became a ruthless, savage teen and chronicles the events that led to him being sentenced to 13 years in prison for second-degree murder at age 16. After an encounter with a prison minister, Diaz experienced a vision of his wasted life projected “like a movie” onto his cell wall, and he felt the call of salvation promised by the minister and decided to give up his gang affiliation and commit his life to God. After serving his full sentence, Diaz moved to Burbank, Calif., where he established a church that is still in operation. Throughout, Diaz moves chillingly between raw description (“Rabbit thrust the screwdriver into the soft mid-section of the beaten-down gang member”) and measured introspection (“Witnessing this violence didn’t bother me too much”). Diaz’s fraught life story illuminates the destructiveness of gangs and the power of redemption.