Man arrested for killing ex-wife, children

PHOENIX — A man has been arrested in the shooting deaths of his estranged wife and their two children at a Phoenix apartment complex before getting into a Christmas Day shootout with officers, authorities said.

Police responded Monday afternoon to a report of gunfire and found a woman dead in the parking lot. Officers later found the bodies of a 10-month-old girl and an 11-year-old boy inside the apartment.

Police tried to talk to the suspect, who barricaded himself inside the unit where he used to live, Sgt. Jonathan Howard said.

Several hours later, the unidentified man indicated he had killed the two children and began shooting at officers. After a brief gunbattle, he was taken into custody.

The man was not hurt, Howard said. One officer was injured by shrapnel and taken to the hospital in stable condition.

No identities or motive have been released.

Police on Tuesday were still investigating the shooting that they described as a domestic violence incident. Howard said the shooter was visiting Phoenix for the holidays.

Tactical units escorted residents from the area, some clustered outside a convenience store for hours until the standoff ended. Others returning home weren’t allowed in.

“It’s kind of crazy, just because it’s supposed to be a holiday for your family and getting together,” Sierra Scott, whose mother lives at the apartment complex, told Phoenix news station KSAZ-TV.