Mom fatally shoots 2-year-old son and turns gun on herself, takes knife to her own neck when gun jams: Cops

An Arizona mother is behind bars and her 2-year-old son is dead after what investigators believe was an intended murder-suicide.

According to the New York Post, 26-year-old Alyssa Pettibone was arrested and jailed Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder with bond set at $750,000.

Reports indicate Buckeye police officers responded to her home on Friday afternoon after receiving a 911 call regarding a shooting.

The toddler was dead of a gunshot wound and Pettibone had sustained multiple stab wounds investigators say appeared to be self-inflicted.

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KNXV reported that she had been stabbed in the neck.

She spent more than than two days in an area hospital receiving medical treatment for her injuries before she was released into police custody and booked into jail.

Pettibone later confessed to police, according to reports, explaining that she “shot her baby and tried to kill herself.”

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Court documents show officers spoke to Pettibone’s mother, who said the suspect shot the young victim and attempted to shoot herself. The bullet reportedly misfired due to being loaded into the magazine backward.

Police believe they have recovered the 9mm handgun used in the crime. The cause of the jam was reportedly confirmed upon inspection of the firearm.

Neighbor Jeff Morris told KSAZ that he initially expected the disturbance to be attributed to an accidental shooting. The allegations against Pettibone caught him off guard.

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“I don’t understand why a mother would do that to her child,” he said. “You hear a lot about this … holidays bring out the worst in people I guess.”

[Featured image: Alyssa Pettibone/Buckeye Police]