Suspect in Hostage-Taking Is Shot : Garden Grove Police Wound Shooting Suspect

A tense hostage standoff ended Saturday when police shot and seriously wounded a man who police said shot his wife and then held her and his 18-month-old-child captive for several hours at a Garden Grove home.

The suspect, Michael J. Wright, 32, of Redlands, was in critical condition at United Western Medical Center-Santa Ana with a gunshot wound to the head.

His wife, Beverly Wright, 38, suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest and was in stable condition at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

The wife’s sister, Carol Huffer, 34, in whose home the shooting took place, suffered injuries to the head and was in stable condition. The 18-month-old, Shannon, was treated for a cut on the head, said Garden Grove Police Lt. John Woods.

Woods said police were called to Huffer’s home, at 12571 Spinnaker St., about 4:15 p.m. by a frantic woman who said a man with a gun was banging on the front door.

The man forced his way into the home and pistol-whipped Huffer but she was able leave the house, Woods said.

When police arrived, they found Wright holding his wife and child in the back yard at gunpoint, Woods said. A SWAT team was called when the Wright threatened to kill his wife and himself, Woods said.

About 6 p.m., Woods said, communications deteriorated and Wright “started to act weird, and the suspect was shot by a member of the SWAT team.”

He would not elaborate on what actions prompted the shooting.

The incident is being investigated by the county district attorney’s office, Woods said.