PHOENIX  — Two people were killed, and five others, including two Phoenix police officers, were injured in a shooting Sunday night outside a Days Inn hotel.

"My daughter and I heard the noises and thought someone was doing fireworks," said Wes Williams.

Williams left his daughter in the room with his adult son and checked out the commotion.

"I was in the hallway coming out. That's how I got shot," said Williams.

The high-caliber rounds grazed the father's jaw and forearm.

"I was just holding a towel on here and bleeding out my arm," said Williams, gesturing to his bruised cheek. "It didn't hit any muscle it just went right -- the door saved me."

The door also saved Timothy Dahling.

"We came out the door we saw a guy with a flashlight, and we didn't know what to do," said Dahling. "And all of a sudden we heard, pop pop pop."

Phoenix police say the suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Isaiah Steven Williams.

According to police, surveillance video reportedly showed the gunman wearing tactical gear and armed with a semi-automatic rifle leaving a room at the motel and going on a shooting spree.

He is shown firing into the motel before turning the rifle at a car pulling into a parking lot. A man and woman inside were killed, police said.

Police said the shooter was reportedly seen throwing a Molotov cocktail at the nearby restaurant, but it did not ignite.

When officers arrived, they were met with gunfire, police said.

One officer was struck in the shoulder, and a second officer was injured by shrapnel.

Police said after exchanging gunfire with police, he appears to have taken his own life.

Police said incendiary devices, extra magazines, and a gas mask were found near Williams.

Dahling said he got a good look at Williams.

"I think it was a gas mask and a helmet," said Dahling. "He was dressed in all black."

"He was geared up to kill people," exclaimed Dahling.

Police have not released the names of the two victims who died.

Three other bystanders were treated at local hospitals and were later released, police said.

"It's devastating, it really is. It's heartbreaking," said Sara Mann, who was staying inside the hotel.

Mann was staying at the Days Inn for a business trip when she heard the gunfire. She immediately ran and hid in the shower.

She is now heading home to Texas, worried about PTSD.

"He was right on top of me. He knocked on my window," said Mann, recalling the suspect's shooting spree. "It's hard. You hear sounds and you're just nervous."

Williams said he is already on anxiety medicine after his first encounter with life-altering violence in 2008.

"I was involved in a home invasion where I got stabbed twice and killed both the intruders," said Williams."My sister said I'm a cat. I got nine lives."

Wes, Sara, and Timothy are now left wrestling with the dueling emotions.

"I guess I feel lucky... I'm not dead," said Williams.

But each of them knows that others are not lucky.

"It could've been anybody," said Mann, holding back tears.

Williams told ABC affiliate KNXV that the biggest challenge now is not his numb ear. It is the financial fallout.

He had to find a new hotel to stay at with his children. His son's car was also completely shot up in the spree.

A fundraiser has been started to help Williams and his kids out.

Police are still trying to determine the motive behind the attack.

Zach Crenshaw at KNXV first reported this story.

From Kansas City and Philadelphia to the Super Bowl crowd in Phoenix, Arizona, football fans are ready for this year's big game between the Chiefs and the Eagles.

"It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Adam Kurth, a Chiefs fan who made plans to attend the Super Bowl.

With fate on their side, some fans bought their plane tickets months ago before the football season even started.

"We just hoped and prayed and here we go," said Stefanie Wirths, who bought her plane tickets in June 2022.

While others waited until the Chiefs made it in.

"Our friends said, come on down, tickets showed up, and we’re on our way," said Joe Gilmartin, who's headed to Super Bowl.

Philadelphia fans also found their way to Phoenix.

One "die-hard" Eagles fan in particular got a surprise trip to the game.

As great of a year as it's been for her favorite team, Linda Linderman is missing some of her favorite fans. Her parents both died in the last year.

"On my mom's death bed, I said, 'Mom, look over all of us and our Eagles,' and here we are," she said.

Linda was in Arizona last week, but only because she has some family in the area and not because she had Super Bowl tickets in hand.

When asked where she was going to watch the game, she said, "We're not sure yet. We're still trying to figure that out."

But Linda was in for a shock: It turned out her son already had it figured out.

"So actually, I've already bought Eagles tickets or bought Super Bowl tickets for us. So, we're going to the game," John told her.

Linda has never been to a Super Bowl. And of course, she said she would only ever want to go to one the Eagles are in.

"I really wanted to kind of give this experience to her. I've been going over to her house and watching the Eagles all season, every week, because I know how important it is to her," John said.

A viral Chiefs fan also made the trip to Phoenix, courtesy of Lay's Potato Chips.

Nicki Conrad went viral at Arrowhead Stadium while eating a potato during the AFC Divisional Round game against Jacksonville and was later named Super Bowl LVII's "Lay's Potato Girl."

Two unlikely friends, one a Chiefs fan and one an Eagles fan, will be sitting together at the Super Bowl on Sunday.

John Gladwell and Billy Welsh first met each other while serving together in the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Although they didn't like each other back then, that dynamic all changed when Welsh reached out on social media in desperate need of a kidney and Gladwell responded.

"Never in a million years would I have ever thought that dude would’ve given me a kidney,” Welsh said.

After that kidney donation in October 2020, Gladwell faced his own health crisis.

About a year ago, COVID-19 sent Gladwell to the hospital’s intensive care unit with stage four kidney failure.

Now the two men are embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trip together.

Even though they’re rooting for different teams, their bond is now much bigger than football.

Lastly, no fan was more ready for this matchup than Donna Kelce, the first mom ever to have her children face off in an NFL Super Bowl as players.

The mother of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce has stolen the show ahead of the big game in Arizona for her sweet interaction with her world-famous sons.

This Super Bowl, mama Kelce is staying neutral. Her combined Eagles and Chiefs shoes and jersey say all you need to know.

"Obviously, I want each boy to do the best that they can, put it all out on the field so that they have no regrets,” Donna Kelce said.

This week, Donna Kelce was in Phoenix and delivered handmade cookies to her sons while they were on stage Monday night during Super Bowl festivities.

PHOENIX —

A man who shot his ex-girlfriend at a Phoenix home early Friday ambushed the first officer on the scene, seriously injuring him, then opened fire on other police as they tried to rescue a baby that was left outside the door.

The woman later died. In all, five officers were shot, including four who were wounded while trying to take the baby to safety. Four more officers were injured by shrapnel or ricocheting bullets, police said.

Of the five shot directly, four remain hospitalized. All of the officers were expected to survive, and the baby girl was unharmed.

"I cannot recall an incident in city history where so many officers were injured," Mayor Kate Gallego said at a news conference near the scene. "A baby is safe today because of our Phoenix police officers."

The most seriously injured officer was the first to arrive at the home, around 2:15 a.m., following a report of a woman shot. He was invited inside, Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Williams said.

"As he approached the doorway, the suspect ambushed him with a gun and shot him several times," he said. "That officer was able to get back and get away to safety."

Video from the scene shows another man coming outside holding a baby and a satchel. The man put the satchel on the ground and then laid down the infant, wrapped in a blanket, between the satchel and the front door. He raised his hands to surrender while backing away from the house.

After that man was detained, other officers approached the doorway to get the baby girl, and the suspect fired more shots. The police returned fire, which then led the suspect to barricade himself. Eight of the officers were wounded by bullets or shrapnel in that exchange, Williams said.

Police were able to get the baby to safety as a SWAT unit took over.

The suspect remained barricaded for several hours and was later found dead from a gunshot wound inside the home.

They also found the suspect's ex-girlfriend, who had been shot and was critically injured. She died hours later, police said. Williams said the baby was believed to be the woman and suspect's child. She is now in state custody.

The man who brought the baby outside suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Williams said he's a family member and is cooperating with police.

"No information suggests that he's part of the ambush, but it's an ongoing investigation," Williams said.

Police identified the gunman as 36-year-old Morris Jones and said they were still trying to learn about the circumstances preceding the incident. Detectives were gathering evidence and processing the scene Friday morning.

Williams declined to say whether Morris has a criminal record or if police had been called to the home before.

"This is just one more example of the dangers that officers face every day keeping us and our community safe," Police Chief Jeri Williams said at an early morning news conference. "If I seem upset, I am. This is senseless. It does not need to happen and it continues to happen over and over again."

Chris Grollnek, an active shooter expert, told The Associated Press on Friday that it's important to know how the incident was initially reported. Was it a 911 call from the woman pleading for help? A neighbor reporting gunfire and screaming?

The immediate information will determine how the first officers respond as they get to the scene, he said.

Traditionally, a barricaded suspect buys the police time to set up a perimeter and call a SWAT team, which could take 20 minutes to arrive. But if someone is injured inside, "the human factor takes over," Grollnek said. "I'm the first one there, I'm going in."

Charles "Sid" Heal, former commanding officer of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's SWAT unit, said department policies often give the decision-making authority to the responding officer.

Both Heal and Grollnek described firing on officers who are trying to save a baby as "evil." They said police protocols simply cannot cover such a scenario.

"Hopefully it doesn't happen often enough that we'll ever have a protocol for it," Heal said.

He added he cannot imagine a situation where the officers would have left the baby exposed because it was too dangerous for them to rescue the child.

"The moral factors far exceed the physical risk," he said.

The middle-class neighborhood in southwest Phoenix where the shooting occurred has newly constructed stucco houses tightly packed together and sits next to large shipping and fulfillment facilities for businesses. The home had its second-story windows shot out.

Frank DeAguilar, its owner, said the residence is a rental and he didn't know anything about the people living there, including their names. He said a property management firm handles the details.

"It's just a sad situation," DeAguilar said.

___

Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper and Paul Davenport in Phoenix and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — An act of generosity and sacrifice from a Peoria, Arizona, 8-year-old led some Glendale police officers to pay it forward to the boy with a belated birthday party.

Jaden Simmonds is like most kids his age. Spiderman is his favorite superhero, he loves to collect sloths and he's excited to play his Sonic the Hedgehog video game.

What sets Jaden apart from other kids his age is what he decided to do for his birthday.

Over the summer, Jaden told his mother instead of having a big birthday party, he'd rather his friends and family bring him gifts for kids who don't have as much.

So for over a year, Jaden collected enough toys to fill a big red bin. Last month, he wheeled that bin into a local mall, which caused the jaws of Glendale police officers Jeff Alloway and Commander Ryan Horrall to drop.

"We just try to teach our kids to be selfless and think of others," said Krysta Simmonds, Jaden's mother.

Alloway estimates Jaden's gift helped provide additional gifts to about 40 families this Christmas.

"Shocking, to see a child so young, to have such a heart, such a big heart to donate and give up," Alloway said.

Motivated by Jaden's generosity, a few Glendale police officers sought to pay it forward and throw a belated birthday party at Urban Air in Peoria on Friday.

"The gesture that he did, we didn't want it to go unnoticed," Alloway said.

Jaden spoke to local media Friday and told a room of cameras on tripods taller than him that he likes to help others, and it makes him feel good when he does. Like most kids his age, Jaden admitted he was anxious to stop answering media questions and jump on the trampoline.

With approval from his mother about which games were age-appropriate and some police sleuthing to locate the console, Glendale police also gifted Jaden a Nintendo Switch.

His face lit up when he unwrapped the hard-to-find gift.

"The fact that he thought of others than himself was a very proud moment," Jaden's mom said.

This story was originally published by Jordan Bontke on Scripps station KNXV in Phoenix.

MESA, Ariz. — At just 11 years old, calculus homework is no match for Monty Hernandez.

While other kids his age are hoping to make the middle school basketball team, Monty is preparing to enter his freshman year of college.

"It's very important to study because without studying, you won't make it far," Monty said.

Monty studies a lot. Whether in the car or the stands at his sister's softball game, the Mensa society member puts in the work morning and night.

"I didn't have any idea that at 9 years old, he'd ace a high school chemistry class," said Monty's mom, Danielle Hernandez.

Hernandez says it's been quite the journey for her son.

Monty didn't speak until he was 4 years old. He was diagnosed with autism and began his schooling in special education, but testing would soon send him on a meteoric rise through academic levels.

"At first, when I was with people that were older than me, it was weird, but over time it gradually became the norm," Monty said.

After years of difficulty with strength, agility and fine motor skills, Monty was diagnosed with a connective tissue syndrome. The condition requires him to need special accommodations for his learning.

"It explains his low muscle tone, his joint pain, needing a scribe sometimes to write — especially in these math classes where the problems are getting so long, he has to write so much," Hernandez said.

He continues to push through at every turn. Sadly, doctors also diagnosed Monty with ascending aortic aneurism, a heart condition. Until doctors can do surgery to insert a prosthetic aorta, it's a condition that can lead to sudden death.

"At any point in time I have to be there to say, 'It's time to go to Phoenix Children's, call his cardiologist,'" Hernandez said.

But for Monty, now a senior at Skyline High School in Mesa, Arizona, the prospect of death doesn't phase him. It perhaps even emboldens him, especially with so much left to achieve.

"If I'm going to die, I at least try my hardest to do my life goal. I don't want to go out without a bang," Monty said. "I want to become a pediatric neurologist so I can help kids who aren't as fortunate and who need help from doctors to reach their goals."

Paying for Monty's college education will be difficult. His mother has helped him apply for many scholarships, but most require students to be 18 or older.

They're asking the public to help fund Monty's dream by donating to his future education costs.

This story was originally published by Cameron Polom on Scripps station KNXV in Phoenix.

The imminent release of a partisan audit into the 2020 election results in Arizona – authorized in March by the GOP state Senate – has pitted elected Republicans against each other.

Stephen Richter was elected in 2020 to help oversee elections in Maricopa County – the state's largest.

"They started to pursue this in what I believe to be an unprofessional manner that will only erode confidence in our elections," Richter said.

He flipped the county recorder's office red in a down-ballot race last November – the same year Donald Trump lost. He initially supported an election audit.

"I'd have to be a doofus not to understand that there's a significant percentage of the party that doesn't have confidence in how the 2020 elections were administered," he said.

But it was the state Senate's selection of Cyber Ninjas to conduct the audit – a Florida-based company with no experience leading election probes and whose CEO has spouted debunked election conspiracy theories – that has caused many prominent Arizona Republicans to distance themselves.

"I'm not anti-audit," Richter continued. "I'm anti-Cyber Ninjas."

One of the theories already floated by associates of Cyber Ninjas is the assertion that tens of thousands of ballots were cast fraudulently for Joe Biden last November – something Richter characterized as "laughable" in a 38-page open letter he sent last week to Arizona Republicans.

Newsy repeatedly reached out to representatives of Arizona's Republican State Senate and was denied interviews with all 16 state Senators.

Contacted directly, Newsy found one Republican state senator who originally supported the audit has turned on an email auto-reply with a letter explaining why he abandoned support for the probe, saying in part: "What's been going on these past few months cannot be called a professional audit."

On the national scale, former President Donald Trump said "the facts are coming out, the truth is being uncovered and the crime of the century is being fully exposed."

But so far, the audit – pitched as a way to restore voter confidence – has fallen short.

Recent state polling by non-partisan pollster OH Predictive Insights, shows just six in 10 voters are extremely or moderately confident in the state's elections.

Former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett is now the Senate liaison to the Maricopa County audit.

"I want myself, my children, my friends and my family to know that when they participate in an election in Arizona, the results are going to be tabulated accurately,"he said. "Even when the results are close, they can have confidence that they can believe those results."

The audit is still turning heads in other states across the country, especially from far-right voters disaffected with President Biden's win in the 2020 election.

Arizona voter Scott Ziegler said many are still eager for the results of the audit.

"I know people that are in other states that are waiting for this," he said. "This is a big deal."

This story was originally reported on Newsy.com.

WASHINGTON —

The Justice Department on Thursday said it was launching a widespread probe into the police force in Phoenix to examine whether officers have been using excessive force and abusing people experiencing homelessness.

The investigation into the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department is the third sweeping civil investigation into a law enforcement agency brought by the Justice Department in the Biden administration and comes as the department has worked to shift its priorities to focus on policing and civil rights. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the probe will also examine whether police have engaged in discriminatory policing practices and will work to determine if officers have retaliated against people engaged in protected First Amendment activities.

In June, the top prosecutor in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, permanently dismissed charges that included gang allegations against more than a dozen people arrested at an October 2020 protest against police brutality.

The move came amid complaints from civil rights advocates that Phoenix police and prosecutors were pursuing gang charges as part of abusive political prosecutions intended to silence dissent and scare protesters.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, a Democrat, hailed the Justice Department investigation and said it will help with ongoing police reform measures she has been pushing since taking office in 2019.

"Public safety reform is an ongoing process in Phoenix, and now, with the help of the USDOJ, this robust program will continue," Gallego said in a statement.

The city also plans to start a new program this year to respond to mental health calls by placing behavioral health professionals in the field. The city also has a new office of police accountability that is charged with independently investigating allegations of wrongdoing by officers.

That office may be hamstrung, however, by a new state law signed by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey that limits civilian review boards like the one Phoenix has set up.

City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, a frequent defender of Phoenix police, said the department "has been under extreme attack by activists bent on defunding the police."

"I welcome another set of eyes to see what we already know: that we have a department staffed by dedicated individuals who go to great lengths to protect our community, and do so honorably and fairly," he said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which has sued Phoenix police in the past for actions against protesters, said the investigation was needed to force the department to change.

"This is not a case of a few bad apples – Phoenix PD has deep-rooted, systemic problems with the way it treats community members," Victoria Lopez, the group's advocacy and legal director, said in a statement.

Part of the investigation will also examine whether police officers have been violating the rights of people who are experiencing homelessness by "seizing and disposing of their belongings in a manner that violates the Constitution," Garland said.

The new investigation is known as a "pattern or practice" — examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing — and is generally a sweeping review of the entire police department.

In announcing the probe, Garland also pointed to what he described as "straining the policing profession by turning to law enforcement to address a wide array of social problems."

"Too often we asked law enforcement officers to be the first and last option for addressing issues that should not be handled by our criminal justice system," he said "This makes police officers' jobs more difficult, increases unnecessary confrontations with law enforcement and hinders public safety."

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said investigators will meet with police officers and supervisors, review body camera video, along with training materials and other records. She said the Justice Department spoke with Phoenix city officials and they had expressed support for the probe.

"Protecting the rule of law demands that those who enforce our laws also abide by them," Clarke said.

The Justice Department had reviewed an array of publicly available information, including lawsuits and news reports before it decided to open the Phoenix investigation, Clarke said.

The police force has come under fire in recent years for its handling of protests and the high number of shootings. One lawsuit alleged that police and prosecutors colluded to target protesters during a demonstration last summer. In February, a local television station reported that a team of police officers had celebrated shooting a protester in the groin during another protest with commemorative coins they would share.

"We found that the evidence here warrants a full investigation, but we approach this process with no predispositions or pre-drawn conclusions," Clarke said.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams defended the department and the reforms it has made in recent years at a news briefing. But she said she is open to any Justice Department recommendations.

"The Department of Justice inquiry is another opportunity to further improve the department and to better serve our city," Williams said. "Wearing the badge is a privilege, not a right. I'll say that again, wearing this badge is a privilege, not a right."

"The majority of our officers out there act every day with professionalism and compassion," she added.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department announced it was opening similar investigation into police forces in Minneapolis, after the death of George Floyd, and in Louisville, Kentucky, after the death of Breonna Taylor.

___

Christie reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Body camera video shows a Phoenix police officer helping a family escape a large house fire over the weekend.

Firefighters say the incident happened Saturday near 67th Avenue and McDowell Road, on the city's west side.

Ruby Johnson-Smith said she and her family were home when the fire broke out.

"My daughter and the kids were in the backyard, they were playing, and she ran in and said, 'mom, get out, it's a fire,’" Johnson-Smith said. "I'm like, fire? I started to go to the back porch and then I saw that the fire was coming, so I just ran in my room and grabbed my purse and ran out."

A neighbor next door was then alerted to the kids who were still close to the flames.

"She kept saying that her kids were in the backyard and I thought they were by themselves," said neighbor Josie Aragon. "I'm like, 'oh my God, they need to get those kids out of there.’"

Aragon said a couple of police officers happened to see the flames from across the street.

"Thank God there was these officers coming out of these apartments across the street," Aragon said.

Body camera video from one of the officers shows him rushing toward the house, busting down a side gate, and gaining access to the backyard, where some of the family members were located. The officer and other neighbors helped the family members over the wall with the use of a ladder.

"The officer was brave," said neighbor Annette Castillo. "The fire, that's where it started right there, he still went in, broke down that fence, and saved the family."

Johnson-Smith said all things considered, she and her family are doing well and are currently staying at a motel. She credits her neighbors for helping during the fire as well as the responding officers.

"I appreciate them so much," Johnson-Smith said of the officers. "God is going to crown them for the help that they did for us."

No injuries were reported in the incident. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This story was originally published by staff at KNXV.

Police departments in communities northwest of Phoenix told CNN there were multiple shootings in the West Valley region Thursday afternoon.

"We have two people confirmed shot in random acts," Surprise police Sgt. Greg Welch told CNN. He said there were multiple shooting locations but could not provide an exact number.

Banner Health officials said three of their hospitals have received nine patients. Two patients were at Banner Boswell, three patients were at Banner Thunderbird and four patients were at Banner Del Webb.

It is unknown whether the patients had gunshot wounds or other injuries.

Banner Health officials, citing privacy laws, said they could not provide any additional information on the patients.

Suspect caught

A suspect was apprehended during a traffic stop in Surprise, Welch said. He says one of the two shooting victims in his community is hospitalized in critical condition.

Aerial video from CNN affiliate KPHO/KTVK showed a white SUV with doors open that the news station described as the suspect's vehicle.

Police in the community of Peoria also reported responding to "several shootings" Thursday but did not have further details.

Peoria is about 9 miles east of Surprise. Both are in the West Valley area of the Phoenix Metropolitan area, with Surprise about 45 minutes from downtown Phoenix.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.