On Christmas Day in 2017, a day that should have been filled with joy, turned into a scene of unimaginable horror in a Phoenix, Arizona apartment complex. Ten-month-old Anora Monet Ross, her 11-year-old brother Nigel, and their 38-year-old mother, Iris Ross, were tragically killed. The African American family became victims of a violent rampage that shattered the holiday peace and left a community in mourning.
The horrific events began to unfold when witnesses reported seeing Anthony
Milan Ross, the 45-year-old ex-husband of Iris and father of the two children, shoot his former wife as she attempted to flee from him. When police arrived at the apartment complex near 16th Street and Highland Avenue, they found Iris Ross deceased outside. What followed was a tense, hours-long standoff with Anthony Ross, who had barricaded himself inside the apartment with the children.
As officers tried to negotiate with Ross, the situation escalated. He eventually revealed to them that he had killed his children. A shootout then erupted between Ross and the police. After the exchange of gunfire, which resulted in one officer being injured, police were able to take Ross into custody. Inside the apartment, they made the devastating discovery of the bodies of young Anora and her brother Nigel.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Anthony Milan Ross was arrested and faced a multitude of charges, including three counts of first-degree murder and numerous counts of aggravated assault. It was later revealed that just a day before the killings, Ross had posted a video on social media of himself and his son, Nigel, cheerfully singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town,' a chilling prelude to the violence that would ensue. The motive for the killings was investigated as a domestic violence incident. Ross, a vegan chef and author, was being held without bond.
