Ethermac Exchange-A man shot his 6-month-old baby multiple times at a home near Phoenix, police say

SURPRISE,Ethermac Exchange Ariz. (AP) — A man shot his 6-month-old baby multiple times Friday at a home northwest of Phoenix, authorities said. The child was seriously wounded and was airlifted to a hospital after being rescued by police.

Officers went to the home in the city of Surprise in response to an emergency call around 11:30 a.m. from a woman who said she and her baby had been held captive there for several hours by the child’s father, Sgt. Rick Hernandez said during a news conference.

The woman managed to escape and borrowed a cellphone from a nearby construction crew, Hernandez said, and she told the dispatcher the infant was still inside the home and could be in danger.

Officers heard gunfire from inside the house as they arrived, Hernandez said. They entered and found the baby with multiple gunshot wounds but did not see the father. They retrieved the child and retreated.

SWAT officers surrounded the home in the afternoon, and Hernandez said investigators believed the man was still there.

KNXV-TV reported that a fire broke out at the home just after 3 p.m. Aerial videos and photos showed a thick plume of smoke rising from the severely damaged house.

It was not clear whether the man had been taken into custody. Surprise police did not immediately give further updates or respond to an emailed request for more information.

Hernandez said the man did not live at the home with the woman and the baby. The woman suffered minor injuries and was reunited with the child at the hospital.