An Arizona man shot his 6-month-old baby several times following a “barricaded situation” that ended with a house destroyed by fire, authorities said.
The shocking incident began to unfold in the early hours of Friday in the city of Surprise, some 30 miles northwest of Phoenix.
Surprise Police said officers received reports of a hostage situation involving a woman and her child. According to the woman, who managed to call 911 around 11:30 a.m., the child’s father had broken into her home around 3 a.m. and wouldn’t let her or their baby leave.
After managing to escape the home, the woman sought help from a nearby construction crew and asked them to call 911, Sgt. Rick Hernandez said during a news conference Friday.
When police arrived at the scene “they heard multiple rounds of gunfire from inside,” officials said in a news release. Police then “quickly worked to force entry” and rescue the baby, who “sustained multiple gunshot wounds.”
The child was airlifted to a nearby hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive, officials said.
The woman was treated for minor injuries and later transported to the hospital to be with her child.
Officers from multiple agencies surrounded the residence. During the standoff, a fire broke out and the house became engulfed in flames just after 3 p.m.
The source of the fire is still under investigation, Hernandez told reporters.
The man, who has not been identified, didn’t live at the home, police said. His condition “will be unknown until it is safe for investigators to enter the residence,” police said in a news release Friday night.
