CLEVELAND - A man set his house on fire, climbed on the roof and held police at bay for two hours with his 4-month-old daughter in his arms before they fell to the ground. The man died and the baby was critically injured.
Damian Mallory also shot at officers who went to the scene of a domestic dispute early Sunday and used his daughter, Dia, as a shield, police said. At times he dangled the girl from the edge of the roof, police said.
The standoff ended when Mallory, 25, fell from the smoky second-floor roof while holding the child, police said. A SWAT team member had placed a ladder against the house in an unsuccessful effort to get Mallory to climb down.
Dia was listed in critical condition early Monday at MetroHealth Medical Center.
Lt. Sharon MacKay said police had received a call that an angry man was threatening his daughter during an argument with his girlfriend.
MacKay said that when police arrived, Mallory began shooting at them.
Police fired back, unaware Mallory had the baby with him, but stopped firing when Mallory strapped the infant in a baby harness to his chest.
Assistant Fire Chief David McNeilly said firefighters were unable to fight the blaze until after the shooting ended.
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