Ross: killed wife, two children on Christmas Day

A U.S man described as local author and motivational speaker shot and killed his ex-wife and two children on Christmas Day at a Phoenix apartment complex on Christmas Day.

Quoting court documents, ABC said witnesses told police they saw the suspect, 45-year-old Anthony Milan Ross, shoot his ex-wife Monday afternoon near as she tried to run away from him from his street.

The suspect then went into his apartment, where he shot dead  his two children, 10-month-old Anora Ross and 11-year-old Nigel Ross.

Mary Wogas, the sister of Iris Ross, says she received a text message Christmas afternoon from Anthony, and knew immediately that something was wrong.

“I received a text yesterday about 2:52 p.m. Two messages, first one saying, ‘I just killed Iris and the kids’. The second message was, ‘with a gun’,” said Wogas. “I knew that man was very unstable. I knew he had a very, very dark side..I didn’t know it was this dark.”

Police said they arrived at 3:45 p.m. and found the body of Iris Ross in the front patio way of the complex, but  the suspect barricaded himself inside his apartment and after several hours,  began shooting at the officers.

The Special Assignments Unit made entry into the apartment where he continued shooting at them.

One officer, a 46-year-old man with 23 years of service, was injured by the gunfire. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

After the gunfire exchange, police were able to secure the area and take Anthony Milan Ross into custody. Officers then discovered Nigel Ross’s body in another room.

The suspect faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, 19 counts of aggravated assault against an officer, and a count of discharging a firearm in city limits. He is being held without bond.

His next hearing will be on Jan. 3 in Phoenix.

Family and friends of the victims told ABC15 he began acting differently and making subtle threats after he divorced Iris Ross in June.

“The man was off his rocker. One minute he was yelling at her, calling her a “whore”, and the next minute wanting to tell her he loved her and wanted them to be a family unit,” said Wogas. “He would also claim that he was working with a voodoo priest in New Orleans to put a hex on her. Just very, very dark, very dark intentions.”

A U.S man described as local author and motivational speaker shot and killed his ex-wife and two children on Christmas Day at a Phoenix apartment complex on Christmas Day.

Quoting court documents, ABC said witnesses told police they saw the suspect, 45-year-old Anthony Milan Ross, shoot his ex-wife Monday afternoon near as she tried to run away from him from his street.

The suspect then went into his apartment, where he shot dead  his two children, 10-month-old Anora Ross and 11-year-old Nigel Ross.

Mary Wogas, the sister of Iris Ross, says she received a text message Christmas afternoon from Anthony, and knew immediately that something was wrong.

“I received a text yesterday about 2:52 p.m. Two messages, first one saying, ‘I just killed Iris and the kids’. The second message was, ‘with a gun’,” said Wogas. “I knew that man was very unstable. I knew he had a very, very dark side..I didn’t know it was this dark.”

Police said they arrived at 3:45 p.m. and found the body of Iris Ross in the front patio way of the complex, but  the suspect barricaded himself inside his apartment and after several hours,  began shooting at the officers.

After the gunfire exchange, police were able to secure the area and take Anthony Milan Ross into custody. Officers then discovered Nigel Ross’s body in another room.

The suspect faces three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, 19 counts of aggravated assault against an officer, and a count of discharging a firearm in city limits.

Family and friends of the victims told ABC15 he began acting differently and making subtle threats after he divorced Iris Ross in June.

“The man was off his rocker. One minute he was yelling at her, calling her a “whore”, and the next minute wanting to tell her he loved her and wanted them to be a family unit,” said Wogas. “He would also claim that he was working with a voodoo priest in New Orleans to put a hex on her. Just very, very dark, very dark intentions.”

Originally published in ABC