An Arizona mom has been arrested for allegedly shooting her two-year-old daughter dead and leaving her six-year-old son in a critical condition.
Reports said that Esther Callejas, 24, wanted the young children to ‘go to heaven.’
Callejas phone her husband Emmanuel Isidro and other relative after the shooting on Monday morning, Phoenix police said.
During the calls, she allegedly admitted to shooting the children at their home. Phoenix police spokesman Sergeant Ann Justus confirmed to People that Callejas admitted to the shootings.
Callejas was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on $2million bond.
According to police, Isidro and the other family member immediately called police after speaking to Callejas.
Officers arrived to the family’s home where they found the two children with gunshot wounds.
The Arizona Republic reported that Callejas later told police she was planning to shoot the children and take her own life.
Callejas said she had bought a gun and hid it from her husband in the children’s room, according to the paper.
‘During an interview with police the following day, she admitted to shooting both of her children because she wanted them to go to Heaven,’ police said in a statement, according to Fox News.
‘She told detectives she planned on killing herself after, but she was unable to reload the gun.’ Callejas then reportedly attempted to overdose on pills.
Callejas accidentally shot herself in the hand, before shooting the children, Fox reported.
Her husband said she had been ‘depressed’ before the incident, according to The Republic.
‘This is the worst type of call we can go on as officers. It affects each and every one of our officers,’ Justus said in a news conference.
Two weeks prior to the shooting, police responded to a welfare check request by Isidro but neither Callejas nor their children were home.
Fox News reported that Callejas called officers and informed them that everything was fine.
