3 arrested in shooting of 8-month-old baby in Arizona

An 8-month-old child was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot twice by what authorities say was a pellet gun in Golden Valley, Arizona, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, officers responded to a Las Vegas hospital where doctors had determined a B.B. or pellet bullet was lodged into the baby’s cranial cavity after fracturing her skull, according to the sheriff’s office statement Saturday.

The baby’s mother, Marticella Lopez-Rodriguez, 34, of Golden Valley, Arizona, told authorities that she was in the woods gathering firewood when the baby was randomly shot by an unknown shooter. Golden Valley is about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Investigators also spoke to Zion Kauffman, 33, and Savannah Cushman, 27, both of Golden Valley, and determined that the three had concocted the story after Kauffman accidentally struck the child with two bullets, one of which grazed the baby’s arms, the release said.

“The investigation revealed that Zion had shot ten to thirty b.b.’s at a covey of quail that were in the area of the child, who was sitting in a car seat that had been placed on the ground in the area of her mother as she was collecting firewood,” the sheriff’s office said. “The trio administered first aid, however waited several hours before transporting the child to the hospital by a taxi service.”

Investigators then contacted Lopez-Rodriguez again and she “confirmed that she had in fact made up the false details relating to this incident and admitted to how the incident had actually occurred.”

Kaufman and Cushman were arrested and booked on aggravated assault, child abuse and hindering prosecution. Lopez-Rodriguez was booked in a Las Vegas jail while awaiting extradition to Arizona, but her charges were unclear.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.