A 30-year-old mother of five was shot to death outside her west Phoenix home early Dec. 22, and the man suspected in the killing died by suicide hours later after barricading himself inside a nearby house as officers negotiated, police said.
Authorities identified the victim as Selena Felix and the suspect as 23-year-old Alexis Torres. Investigators said the violence stemmed from an ongoing custody dispute and unfolded across multiple scenes before dawn. Officers later recovered a 3-year-old child unharmed from the suspect’s car. Detectives are assembling a timeline that began with a failed traffic stop, continued with a standoff, and ended with the discovery that the earlier driver and the barricaded man were the same person connected to the killing. The case remains open as police complete interviews and evidence reviews.
Officers were dispatched about 3:36 a.m. to the area near 7100 West Pioneer Street after a caller reported a woman in the roadway who appeared to have been shot. When police arrived, they found Felix suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; she was pronounced dead at the scene by fire personnel. Roughly an hour earlier, an officer had attempted a traffic stop around 2:25 a.m. near 900 West Paseo Street, but the driver sped off, abandoned the vehicle and ran into a house, prompting a barricade and negotiations. “Detectives are investigating an early morning shooting that left a woman and man dead,” the department said in a written advisory.
During the barricade, officers located a toddler inside the suspect’s vehicle and moved the child to safety before transferring the child to state child welfare officials while relatives were contacted. Police later confirmed the child was 3 years old and unharmed. Investigators said Torres refused to surrender. After officers heard a single gunshot inside the home, they made entry and found Torres dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound. No officers fired their weapons during the standoff, and no additional injuries were reported.
Detectives said early findings indicate Torres took the child from Felix late the night of Dec. 21 during a dispute and returned to the neighborhood before the shooting. Officials have not publicly detailed the moments that immediately preceded the gunfire or identified additional witnesses beyond the initial caller. Court records reviewed in the investigation indicate Torres was not the child’s biological father, but police said the conflict centered on custody and care arrangements that had caused friction between the adults in recent weeks.
Neighbors on the west side described waking to flashing lights and marked-off streets. By midmorning, technicians placed evidence markers across the asphalt and canvassed for home security cameras. The home used in the barricade, several miles away, was secured for a search warrant. Officers also reviewed radio and dispatch logs tied to the 2:25 a.m. attempted stop to align what they called overlapping calls and decisions across the city. Investigators said it took several hours to positively identify the toddler and connect the child to Felix through a relative who reported a child missing and provided confirming details.
Felix’s relatives said she was a devoted parent and a steady presence for her extended family. A fundraising effort launched after her death said her five children were struggling to understand the loss, which fell just days before Christmas. Family members spent the week arranging services and care for the children while awaiting formal updates from homicide detectives. Police have not released the children’s ages, and officials have not said whether any of them were home at the time of the confrontation on the street.
The case arrives as Phoenix police continue to handle a persistent volume of domestic-violence calls, some involving weapons and custody disputes. Advocates note that holidays and year-end school breaks can bring added strain for separated families and caregivers. While officials emphasized that fatal incidents remain a small share of overall calls, they also underscored how quickly domestic arguments can escalate into lethal encounters, especially when firearms are present and young children are nearby.
No criminal charges will be filed because the suspect is deceased, but homicide detectives will complete a full investigative packet that typically includes evidence from the scene, autopsy results, body-camera video, 911 recordings, and any available court documents related to custody. The department said additional information could be released in a routine case summary after the timeline and relationships among those involved are fully documented. Officials have not announced an internal review of negotiation tactics used during the barricade, though such after-action assessments are common when a suspect dies by suicide.
As the week closed, a small memorial grew near the spot where Felix was found, with candles, flowers and handwritten notes set along the curb. A neighbor said the street is usually quiet at that hour, with only passing traffic headed to nearby arterial roads. Family members described Felix as a loving sister and mother who balanced work and parenting. “We are focused on the children and honoring her life,” one relative said, asking for privacy as arrangements were made.
Police say the investigation remains active. Detectives are expected to release a brief update once evidence processing and interviews are completed in the coming days. Funeral plans for Felix were still being finalized late Friday.
Author note: Last updated December 26, 2025.