A man shot his 6-month-old son multiple times before turning the gun to himself in a hostage situation, according to the police.
51-year-old Todd Christopher Marchetti was at the centre of an hours-long tense stand-off with the police in Surprise, Arizona, that concluded with a house being burnt to the ground on Friday, May 17. Marchetti's six-month-old baby was hospitalised with serious injuries but is expected to survive.
Marchetti's remains were later discovered in the burnt-out property with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, although the official cause of death is pending a medical examiner's report, authorities said.
The ordeal began when Marchetti broke into the home at around 3am, taking a woman and the baby hostages, according to Surprise Police Sgt. Rick Hernandez. The woman and child lived at the property, but Marchetti, the father of the baby, did not.
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The child suffered serious injuries but is expected to survive (azfamily)At around 11:30am, the woman managed to escape to a nearby construction crew and relayed the horrifying events, prompting them to call 911. When police arrived, the father and baby were still inside the property. Gunshots were heard at the scene, leading one officer to return fire towards the house where Marchetti was located.
Other officers stormed the property, discovering the baby with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite not making contact with the suspect, officers were able to rescue the child from the house. The baby was then airlifted to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
The child's father broke into the house where his son lived with his mother and took them hostages (azfamily)The 6-month-old boy, who suffered injuries to his lower body, was subjected to surgery and remains in critical but stable condition. The woman sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene before being taken to the hospital to be with her child, according to Hernandez.
Hernandez said: "When a call came in to 911 our officers were ready to put themselves in that line of fire that in the danger for the betterment of that young child. Right now, that child is clinging to life, that child is in surgery, that child has an opportunity to recover and that is what our officers are focused on right now is that we provided that child the opportunity to recover."
Todd Christopher Marchetti, 51, was found dead with apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound (azfamily)Chilling footage from the scene captured armed police surrounding the house, with the property's garage and windows destroyed. Police say Marchetti refused to come out of the house and peacefully surrender.
At around 3pm, the house caught fire with Marchetti still inside. Video from the scene showed how the fire erupted and tore through the home. Hector Holguin from Arizona's Family, said: "Next thing you know, there was smoke. And after the smoke, there's a huge ball of fire coming from the back of the house and it just spread from the back all the way to the front. It just progressed. It collapsed the roof."
Firefighters couldn't get too close to the flames due to the possibility that the suspect might still have been in the home. The response was delayed due to gunfire heard from inside the house, according to Hernandez.
The dramatic stand-off ended with the property erupting in flames (azfamily)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
"Firefighters don't wear bulletproof vests. Firefighters don't have weapons so they are vulnerable on these kinds of situations so it's imperative that law enforcement stabilise that scene in such a way that it's safe to address the fire," stated Andy Anderson, a former assistant Phoenix Police chief.
Firefighters utilised two ladder trucks to douse the house and the neighbouring property with water to prevent the flames from spreading. By 4:30pm the fire seemed to be extinguished, but firefighters were still dealing with hot spots. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, Hernandez added.
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A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the mother and baby during their recovery.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence hotline www.thehotline.org at 1-800-799-7233.
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