9 Cops Shot in Ambush with Baby as Bait

According to ABC15

Police say nine officers were hurt and another woman has died after a standoff at a south Phoenix home early Friday morning.

The incident occurred around 2:15 a.m. when officers responded to a report of a woman shot near 54th Avenue and Elwood Street, just north of Broadway Road.

An officer went to the house to help the injured woman and was invited inside by the suspect. The officer refused to enter, and was then ambushed by the suspect, who opened fire, hitting the officer multiple times.

Relatives have identified the suspect as Morris Richard Jones III. A law enforcement source confirmed the name to ABC15.

The officer was able to get back to safety as additional crews arrived and surrounded the residence to call out the people inside, spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams said at a Friday morning press conference.

A man was then seen coming outside the front door, placing a baby outside the home as the situation was unfolding. The man then went to officers who detained him.

Williams said as officers moved in to secure the infant, Jones, inside the home, opened fire again, striking four other officers with gunfire. Four additional officers were also hit indirectly with either ricochets or shrapnel.

The baby is said to be OK.

Jones was barricaded in the home for several hours and officials urged people to stay away or stay inside.

Negotiation attempts by the Phoenix Police Special Assignments Unit were initiated, and as crews made their way into the home around 7 a.m., they found Jones dead inside. The woman was also found inside the house with critical injuries and was later pronounced dead.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said the officers are recovering from their injuries and the initial responding officer was more seriously hurt, but is also recovering with non-life-threatening injuries.

The man who brought the baby outside the home also suffered injuries during the incident but is said to be OK. Sgt. Andy Williams said there is no information to suggest he was part of the ambush, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Jones and woman are believed to be former boyfriend and girlfriend with a child in common, likely the baby involved in the incident.

It is unclear at this time if Jones died from self-inflicted wounds, and a motive in the shooting is not known, according to Sgt. Andy Williams.

A large police presence is expected to remain at the scene for the rest of the day and neighborhood restrictions have been put in place.

Chief Jeri Williams told KTAR the officers involved in the incident have between two and nearly 19 years of experience. She also said three of the injured officers remain hospitalized.

Some of the officers that were hospitalized from the incident have been released from the hospital, as of Friday afternoon. It is unclear how many are still hospitalized.

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The officers hurt by bullet shrapnel stayed at the scene despite their injuries in an attempt to make sure the incident was taken care of before they got medical attention, Sgt. Andy Williams said.

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