Man shooting BB gun at quail accidentally fractures infant’s skull, Arizona cops say

A mother and her two friends told deputies that her 8-month-old girl suffered critical head injuries when a stranger began shooting at them, Arizona officials say.

But that story was concocted to cover for a friend, deputies say.

Marticella Lopez-Rodriguez, 34, of Golden Valley, told deputies her daughter had been shot by someone firing an airsoft gun Tuesday while she gathered firewood with two friends, a Mohave County Sheriff’s Department news release on Facebook says.

The infant was grazed in the arm and hit in the back of the head, fracturing her skull, deputies reported. She was reported to be in critical condition at a Las Vegas hospital.

Investigators also questioned Zion Zachary Kauffman, 33, and Savannah Joy Cushman, 27, both of Golden Valley, who had been with Lopez-Rodriguez at the time, the release says.

Detectives learned Kauffman had accidentally hit the infant while firing 10 to 30 BB gun shots at a nearby flock of quail, deputies say. The child had been left on the ground in a car seat while Lopez-Rodriguez collected firewood.

The three friends tried to administer first aid but waited several hours before taking the girl to a hospital by taxi, the release says. They had concocted the story about a mysterious gunman, according to the release.

Lopez-Rodriguez, Kauffman and Cushman face charges including aggravated assault, child abuse and hindering prosecution, according to deputies.

This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Man shooting BB gun at quail accidentally fractures infant’s skull, Arizona cops say."