SURPRISE, AZ – A six-month-old infant was rescued by police after being shot multiple times during a hostage situation involving the child’s mother and a man believed to be the child’s father, according to authorities. The incident occurred in a home in Surprise, Arizona, where 51-year-old Todd Christopher Marchetti held the mother and child captive.
The ordeal began around 3 a.m. when Marchetti forcefully entered the home and prevented the mother and child from leaving. According to a close friend of the mother, Linda Ogle, the woman had moved back with her parents to escape Marchetti’s alleged abuse. Ogle revealed that Marchetti had planned to torment the woman while her parents were away, and had brought with him an assortment of tools and weapons, including an ax, duct tape, ropes, pliers, and butcher knives.
The mother, demonstrating resourcefulness, managed to escape the house around 11:30 a.m. and sought help from a nearby construction crew. The crew promptly called 911. Upon arrival, police reported hearing gunfire from inside the house. Officers entered the house and rescued the infant, while one officer fired a round towards the suspect.
As the situation escalated, SWAT teams arrived and initiated lengthy negotiations with the barricaded Marchetti. During this time, a fire broke out in the house, the cause of which remains uncertain. Firefighters were unable to immediately tackle the fire due to ongoing gunfire.
Once it was deemed safe, police entered the house and found Marchetti dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. The infant, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, was in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. The mother was treated for minor injuries at the scene. The cause of Marchetti’s death is pending a medical examiner’s report.