PHOENIX — A Phoenix family is thankful to be alive after coming face to face with an armed man who broke into their home in the middle of the night.
The family of eight, who wanted to remain anonymous, tells us the mom got up in the middle of the night to check on why their dog, Snow, was barking.
She turned around to find a man crouching in the middle of her living room.
He held a finger up to his lips and told her to stay calm.
The mom screamed, "The most frantic, loud, screeching, scream of such panic, and she sounded so worried," said one of her daughters.
Mom then ran away, locking the bedroom door.
That's when the family said the man stole their car and drove off.
Phoenix police have identified the man as, 47-year-old Michael Joe Jolls, who was later involved in a shooting with police.
Phoenix Police Officer Armando Carbajal said he believes an officer confronted Jolls earlier in the night. Jolls ran away, and police think he may have been hiding from police at the family's home.
Several hours later, detectives spotted him miles away from the family's home near 7th Street and Northern Ave.
Police say he pointed a gun at officers, and officers opened fire, fatally shooting Jolls.
But the family says the thought of what could have happened still haunts them.
"He was armed with a gun. He could have entered any of our bedrooms, held us hostage so we wouldn't call police or something could have ended badly," said one of the daughters.