During a tense hostage situation, a team of Surprise, Arizona, police officers entered a barricaded home and heard the cries of a 7-month-old baby who had been shot dead by her father. And officers recently spoke on Fox News about their heroic efforts.
“I thought going into the house one or more of us was going to get hurt,” Surprise Officer Carlton Williams said on “Fox News at Night.” “The fact that the gentleman had already fired at officers multiple times left us with no doubt that we had to enter the home.”
The officers gathered in a close formation before entering the house. (Surprise Police Station)
In May, Surprise police reported receiving a 911 call about a woman and her child being held hostage. The mother escaped, but the baby remained trapped inside the house with the father. Officers heard gunshots and entered the home.
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Officers said they entered the room knowing they could confront the baby's father in any room. As they were cleaning up each room, they heard a toddler crying from a back room of the house.
Officers Carpleon and Williams told Trace Gallagher on “FOX News @ Night” that they thought they would one day meet the baby's father. Each bedroom was cleared before the baby was found in the back room. (Surprise Police Station)
“Get the baby! Get the baby!” Williams yelled as Officer Travis Carpleon secured the infant and carried him to safety while his team provided backup. The officers escaped the home without firing a shot.
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“This is as close to a perfect operation as you can get,” said law enforcement expert Aaron Cohen. “They have to get to the end of that structure and get to that kid, but they have no idea what's on the other side of that door.”
Officers said they believe the baby was shot multiple times before entering the home. (Surprise Police Station)
The boy was taken by helicopter to Phoenix Children's Hospital, where he was reunited with his mother. The child's mother escaped from the home before the child and called 911. Her father, Todd Christopher Marchetti, 51, later barricaded himself in the house, set it on fire and died.
Calpleon visited his family in the hospital as his 7-month-old son recovered. During the visit, the family expressed their gratitude for the courage of the officers and the cooperative efforts of multiple units.
“I think they were happy with the result that the team was able to achieve because it was obviously a very traumatic day,” Calpleon said.
“They brought it. They're lucky to be able to come out, but you can see how well-trained they are,” Cohen added.
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FOX News' Grant Johnson contributed to this report.
