PHOENIX — The suspect who allegedly wounded several police officers last Friday during a standoff with Phoenix police died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said Monday that Morris Richard Jones's autopsy results show he died by suicide after he allegedly fired several gunshots at police during a chaotic shootout in a South Phoenix neighborhood. The suspect additionally sustained a non-lethal gunshot wound fired by police.
The incident started around 2 a.m. on Friday when officers went to a home near Broadway Road and 51st Avenue after a caller told a 911 operator that a woman, later identified as Shatifah Lobley, had been shot by an intruder and there were multiple armed suspects inside the house.
According to police, the first officer to get there saw a man, later identified as Morris Jones, 36, standing in the doorway directing the officer to the victim inside.
As the officer got close to the door, police said Jones fired a handgun and shot the officer multiple times.
Other officers arrived and set up a perimeter around the home. Jones fired more shots from inside the home in the direction of the officers, police said.
Police said Jones then got into a vehicle parked in the garage and tried to leave by ramming a patrol car that was blocking his escape. When he was unsuccessful, he went back into the home.
At one point an infant was placed outside the front door and more officers were shot as they attempted to rescue the child, police said.
Officers tried to get Jones to come outside and when he didn't respond, officers used a camera to look in the home and saw Jones was not moving. They went inside and found Jones and Lobley, Jones’ ex-girlfriend, both dead from gunshot wounds.
In total, nine officers were wounded during the shootout. All the officers who were hospitalized have since been released, police said Wednesday.
"All of the injured officers are in great spirits, and appreciate the outpouring of support," Phoenix police wrote in a statement.
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