A baby girl, 11 months old, was held hostage and shot by her father, before he ended his own life following three hours of negotiations with a SWAT unit parked outside his home.
The incident occurred in a home in south Forsyth County, Georgia, on Monday afternoon, Aug. 7.
The SWAT unit attempted to negotiate with the father, Salman Ashraf, 34, who had barricaded himself with his daughter inside his house, but the man refused to speak to the crisis negotiators.
At the three-hour mark, the SWAT unit decided to enter the house to place a phone inside for communication. At this point, they heard the baby crying upstairs, according to a WSBTV report.
The team decided to move in and apprehend the man in order to ensure the baby’s safety, but when they reached the infant, they found she had sustained a gunshot wound. Ashraf was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
SWAT medics rushed to attend to the baby who was airlifted to Atlanta hospital in critical condition. She remained in hospital during the week, but died three days later from the injury, reported WSBTV.
Authorities received a 911 call around 3:30 p.m. from the baby’s mother, who had run over to a neighbor’s house. The mother told the authorities that Ashraf was threatening her and their daughter with a handgun.
The whole neighborhood was blocked off, and neighbors reported not being able to get home.
“My wife called, screaming that there’s cops right in front of our house pulling guns,” neighbor Prakash Barot told WSBTV. “We moved into the suburbs to stay away from such scenarios, such situations, you know, and it’s scary. It’s very scary.”
The child’s mother was uninjured, but was in shock from the ordeal. WSBTV reported she is currently staying with family.
