Dec. 26 (UPI) — A woman and her two children were shot and killed in a series of Christmas Day shootings at a Phoenix apartment.
A man was taken into custody by police after 10 p.m. Monday after a standoff with officers and is suspected of killing the woman. The two children, aged 10 and 11, were also found dead in the apartment.
Although it’s possible the suspect killed all three people in the afternoon, police allowed negotiations for hours in hopes one of the children was alive, Sgt. Jonathan Howard, a Phoenix Police Department spokesman said.
Late Monday, after it became clear both children were also dead, police used an explosion to distract the gunman as they entered the apartment, officials said. One officer was injured by shrapnel.
Howard said the gunman is not a Phoenix resident and that officers did not have a clear motive for the killings.
Residents of the upscale apartment complex near the Biltmore area were not allowed to leave and others were not able to return to their homes there.
“It’s beyond crazy,” resident Gibson Daoud said. “It’s as [expletive] as it can get on Christmas Day.”
Residents were escorted back to their apartments by officers a half-hour after the shootout had ended.
“I’m terrified of who our neighbors are,” resident Kristen Alexander said.
