A man is accused of shooting and killing his estranged wife and their two children at a Phoenix apartment complex before getting into a Christmas Day shootout with officers, authorities said Tuesday.

Police responded Monday afternoon to a report of gunfire and found a woman dead in the parking lot. Officers later found the bodies of a 10-month-old girl and an 11-year-old boy inside the apartment.

Police tried to talk to Anthony Ross, 45, who barricaded himself inside the unit where he used to live, Sgt. Jonathan Howard said. Several hours later, he indicated he had killed the two children and began shooting at officers, authorities said. After a brief gunbattle, he was taken into custody.

Ross, who was visiting Phoenix for the holidays, was not hurt, Howard said. One officer was injured by shrapnel and taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Authorities have not released a motive or the names of the woman and children. Police were investigating the shooting that they described as a domestic violence incident.

It was not clear if Ross had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Tactical units on Monday escorted residents from the area, and some clustered outside a convenience store for hours until the standoff ended. Others returning home weren't allowed in.

"It's kind of crazy, just because it's supposed to be a holiday for your family and getting together," Sierra Scott, whose mother lives at the apartment complex, told Phoenix news station KSAZ-TV.