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Two children were killed after a hostage situation at an apartment complex in Mississippi turned deadly Monday, authorities said, according to People.

Marques Griffin, 25, was arrested after a police standoff in Jonestown during which he allegedly shot two children, identified as a 1-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy, and held a third child at gunpoint, according to a news release from the office of the Coahoma County Sheriff.

A sheriff's deputy who lives in the area responded to the scene around 2 a.m. after receiving a call about a child shot, authorities said.

Police said they received a report that a man was holding a child at gunpoint.

At one point, police were able to convince the suspect to drop his weapon.

They took the child to safety before the suspect was taken into custody, the sheriff's office said.

It wasn't until after Griffin was arrested that officers found two children with gunshot wounds.

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One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital, where the child later died, authorities said.

Police did not specify the relationship between the children and did not release their names.

Meanwhile, a family member identified the 1-year-old girl who died at the hospital as Avery Jones.

"I just want everyone to know that Avery was the sweetest baby. She didn't deserve this. She fell asleep and he put a pillow over her head and shot her," said the girl's grandmother, Melrose Hale. 

She also said Griffin was a "friend" of Avery's mother and expressed shock at his alleged involvement in the incident.

“She told me they were friends... how could a friend do this to you?” asked the grieving grandmother.

Griffin had recently returned to the area from Arlington, Texas, according to the sheriff's office, which has not yet released a possible motive for the violence.

He is in the Coahoma County Adult Detention Center on charges of murder and aggravated assault, officials said.

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