Gist
9-year-old girl shot at mall while waiting to see Easter Bunny
A 9-year-old girl was shot at a California mall Tuesday night, April 12, and it has now been revealed that she was waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny when three stray bullets hit her.
Little Ava Chruniak was struck by the bullets allegedly fired by Marqel Cockrell, 20, a shoe store owner at the Mall of Victor Valley who was aiming at two shoplifters he was chasing away, according to police and the victim’s grandmother.
“Cockrell’s shots missed the shoplifters and instead hit the 9-year-old female victim,” the Victorville Police Department said in a statement.
Ava suffered a broken arm, according to a GoFundMe page that was raising money for her hospital bills.
Ava was said to be in stable condition and was pictured smiling from her hospital bed.
“No child deserves this she was at the mall going for Easter pictures with the bunny she such a sweet loving girl and loves reading her books,” her mother, Natalie, wrote in the fundraising page.
Cockrell was arrested after he fled to Nevada following the shooting, police said. He is facing an attempted murder charge.
