PHOENIX — Tragic events unfolded early Monday when a man and a woman were found dead in what authorities are investigating as a murder-suicide. A three-year-old child was also discovered unharmed, having been located in the man’s vehicle.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m., police attempted to pull over a vehicle near 7th Avenue and Dobbins Road. The driver, identified as 23-year-old Alexis Torres, fled the scene and barricaded himself in a nearby residence. During this time, officers discovered the child, who had reportedly been taken from a home in Avondale the previous evening around 10 p.m.
As negotiations with Torres commenced, officers heard a gunshot. They later found Torres with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
Around one hour after the shooting incident, police responded to reports of a woman who had been shot near 67th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. Authorities found a 30-year-old woman lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds. Tragically, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe Torres was the suspect involved in this second shooting, having driven away in the same vehicle linked to the earlier traffic stop. Further inquiries revealed that the deceased woman was the mother of the three-year-old child.
Torres had a prior relationship with the woman but was neither the child’s father nor the legal guardian. The child was later safely returned to family members, unharmed during the chaotic events.
Local law enforcement continues to probe the circumstances leading to this heartbreaking outcome, emphasizing the devastating impact such incidents cause on families and the community at large. As the investigation unfolds, authorities are focused on ensuring a thorough review of the events that transpired in the early hours of Monday morning.