Initial court appearance on 12/26/17 for Anthony Milan Ross, booked on suspicion of three counts of murder, aggravated assault on an officer and other charges in the death of his estranged wife and 2 children on Dec 25, 2017.
The man suspected of fatally shooting his wife and two children in Phoenix on Christmas is a vegan chef and motivational speaker.
Anthony Milan Ross, 45, was taken into custody shortly after 10 p.m. Monday after exchanging gunfire with officers following a six-hour standoff, a Phoenix police spokesman said Tuesday.
Fans of Ross on social media have been shocked by the news.
Many commented on a Facebook video posted on Christmas Eve of Ross singing with his 11-year-old son Nigel, whom police found the next day shot in a Phoenix apartment, along with his 10-month-old sister, Anora.
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His estranged wife, Iris Ross, 38, was shot Monday shortly before 3:45 p.m., when officers were called to Highland Apartments at Highland Avenue and 16th Street, police said.
Her body was found outside an apartment at the complex, police said, and a standoff with the man inside ensued.
One police officer was injured and is in stable condition. Ross was uninjured.
Ross was more commonly known by his middle name, which he uses for his business ventures, which include vegan cooking and writing.
Ross lost a large amount of weight when he was in his 20s, which he has attributed to his vegan lifestyle. He even spoke about it in a feature-length documentary that also included celebrities James Cameron and Samuel L. Jackson.
At one point Monday, witnesses saw Ross rummaging through his wife's pockets while she appeared to be shot. They asked Ross if she was OK and he responded by pointing his handgun at them and telling them "no," according to a police report.
Police confirmed Tuesday morning that Ross is the father of the children and that he and Iris Ross were estranged.
Howard said Anthony Ross told police negotiators he had killed the children. However, police negotiated with him for hours in hopes that one or both of the children were alive, Howard said. During the negotiations, Ross changed his story and said they were alive and threatened to kill them, according to officials.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the Special Assignments Unit deployed a robot into the apartment where it became evident to police that the younger child, Anora, was dead.
Police entered the apartment after discovering the child, and Ross began firing upon police, the report states. Police discovered Nigel's body shortly afterward in a different room.
Howard said Ross was from out of town and was in Phoenix visiting for Christmas. Howard said police do not yet know the motive for the killings.
A 46-year-old male officer with 23 years of service was injured by shrapnel and taken to a hospital in stable condition, Howard said.
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