A gunman shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and injured nine officers after using his baby daughter to lure police and ambush them early Friday morning, Arizona police said.
Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Smith said Morris Jones, 36, fired at an officer who had arrived at the home while responding to a shooting where Jones’ allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, who police have yet to identify.
Dramatic video from the five-hour stand off shows a man placing Jones’ baby on the ground, raising his hands in the air, and walking backward toward the police, who handcuff him and take him into custody.
But when additional officers rush toward the home to carry the baby to safety, Jones fires from inside the residence, striking eight cops, who are sent fleeing for their lives.
Smith said during a news conference on Friday that there is nothing to suggest at this time the man who carried out the baby was part of the ambush.
He confirmed that Jones was found dead inside the home, but it’s unknown whether his death was self-inflicted, or not, and a motive has yet to be established over the shootings.
Andrews added that the baby was the daughter of the female victim and Jones.
Phoenix police officers are seen running for their lives after being fired upon by Morris Jones inside a home during a tense five-hour standoff with a gunman on Friday
Jones opened fire after a man placed Jones’ baby on the porch, along with a pink bag
Phoenix Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Smith said Jones had shot and killed his ex-girlfriend when police responded to the incident. He shot one officer who approached the home and then shot and injured eight others who attempted to rescue the baby
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams confirmed that four officers were currently in the hospital being treated for gunshot wounds, with one of the cops undergoing surgery.
Williams said she was ‘upset’ at the senseless violence in the community and said the video captured of the incident ‘still gives me chills.’
‘But as gunfire was raging out, our officers went in,’ she said, praising the heroic cops.
‘As a baby was left on the door steps, our officers went to rescue her.’
Mayor Kate Gallego added that the city was reeling from the incident but grateful that the officers could save the baby’s life.
‘I cannot recall an incident in city history where so many officers were injured. A baby is safe today because of our Phoenix police officers.’
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams confirmed that four officers were currently in the hospital being treated for gunshot wounds, with one of the cops undergoing surgery
A man is seen carrying a baby out of a home in Phoenix during an armed standoff
The man raises his hands in the air. This scene played out after a Phoenix police officer was shot multiple times and critically wounded
This man was taken into custody, but his role in the incident is currently unknown
Police say there is nothing to suggest this man was involved in the ambush on cops
A large number of officers converge on the home to collect the baby
According to law enforcement, the incident began unfolding at around 2:15 a.m. local time, when police responded to the home at 54th Avenue and Elwood Street in Phoenix for a report of a shooting.
As an officer approached the residence to investigate, he was invited inside and was then ‘ambushed’ by a gunman, who opened fire, striking the cop multiple times, Andrews said.
The officer was able to get to safety. He was seriously injured but was expected to recover.
‘This is just one more example of the dangers that officers face every day keeping us and our community safe,’ Williams said.
‘If I seem upset, I am. This is senseless. It does not need to happen and it continues to happen over and over again.’
Backup officers responded to the scene, at which time the baby was placed outside the house and the unnamed man who was carrying the infant was detained.
When the gunman opened fire on the police, officers returned fire, Andrews said. Four officers were shot and four others were hit by bullet fragments.
A SWAT team was summoned and made attempts to negotiate with the barricaded shooter.
The standoff ended at around 7am, after police deployed a flash bang, sending plumes of smoke into the air (pictured)
An officer who apparently has been wounded is helped by his colleagues at the scene of Phoenix’s violent standoff
The incident took hours to resolve and involved a large number of police officers
An officer who appears to be injured lies on the ground after being ambushed while trying to rescue the baby from the home in Phoenix
Jones’ girlfriend was shot and killed during the standoff between a gunman and police
Police vehicles are seen responding to the scene, where an armed man barricaded himself inside a home
The standoff was ‘resolved’ at around 7 a.m. after police deployed a flash bang and a SWAT officer breached the house.
When officers entered the home, they discovered the gunman dead and a woman critically wounded. There is no word at this time on how the suspect died.
Williams said four of wounded officers were ‘recovering’ while a fifth was ‘seriously hurt but is on the road to recovery.’
The baby had been inside the home ‘and at some point was placed in a carrier and placed outside,’ Williams said.
Sgt. Ann Justus, a police department spokesperson, said the baby was unharmed.
Shown is the scene near where nine Phoenix police officers were shot and wounded after responding to a report of gunfire inside a home early Friday
Armored police vehicles are seen outside the home near Elwood Street and 54th Avenue as the investigation into the shooting continues
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey tweeted about the Phoenix shooting on Friday
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, also weighed in on the shooting
Senator Krysten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, tweeted about the shooting on Friday.
‘Horrified by this violence against law enforcement working to keep our communities safe,’ she wrote. ‘We’re thinking of everyone injured and hoping for full recoveries as we wait for more information.’
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, also addressed Friday’s standoff, tweeting: ‘Please continue to pray for the five officers injured this morning. Our men and women in blue work day and night—no matter the circumstances—to protect our state from danger. Their unwavering courage & sacrifice helps to keep us safe. Arizona is deeply grateful.’
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