Man suspected of shooting infant son in hostage standoff apparently killed himself

SURPRISE, Ariz. — A man suspected of shooting his 6-month-old son multiple times after taking the boy and his mother hostage was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the rubble of a suburban Phoenix home that caught fire during a SWAT standoff, police said Saturday.

The boy was reported in critical but stable condition at a local hospital on Saturday, Surprise police said in a statement. They previously said his injuries suffered the day before were not life-threatening.

Officers went to the home in the town of Surprise, northwest of Phoenix, in response to a 911 call around 11:30 a.m. Friday from a woman who said she and her baby had been held captive there by the child’s father since 3 a.m. , the police said.

The mother escaped with minor injuries and called 911 using a cell phone she said she borrowed from a nearby construction crew.

Police heard gunfire from the house when they arrived, Surprise Police Sgt. said Rick Hernandez. They entered and found the baby with multiple gunshot wounds, but did not see the father. They retrieved the child and retreated.

The dead man, identified Saturday as 51-year-old Todd Christopher Marchetti, had repeatedly refused to surrender peacefully. Fire damage to the home initially prevented authorities from finding him, Hernandez said earlier Saturday.

“When it was safe for investigators to enter the residence, they discovered the remains of Marchetti with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The cause of death is still pending the results of the full medical examiner’s report,” police said in the statement late Saturday.

Aerial and afternoon photos showed a thick plume of smoke billowing from the badly damaged home.

Surprise police have scheduled a news conference Monday to provide additional details about the ongoing investigation, Hernandez said.