9-year-old girl shot while waiting to see Easter Bunny at California mall; store owner arrested

VICTORVILLE, Calif. — A store owner at a southern California mall has been accused of mistakenly shooting and injuring a 9-year-old girl Tuesday while she waited to see the Easter Bunny.

Marqel Cockrell, 20, was arrested in Nevada a few hours after the shooting, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday. Cockrell is co-owner of the shoe store Sole Addicts at the Mall of Victor Valley in Victorville in San Bernardino County.

Ava Chruniak, 9, was getting ready to see the Easter Bunny with her family on Tuesday when shots were fired, hitting her twice in the arm, according to her family.

Deputies responding to the shooting found the girl suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition, police said.

According to the sheriff's department, Cockrell did not intend to shoot the girl but was instead chasing two shoplifters out of his store.

"Cockrell’s shots missed the shoplifters and instead hit the 9-year-old female victim," the statement said.

The mall remained closed for the remainder of the evening but reopened Wednesday morning.

Deputies said Cockrell fled the the mall before they arrived. Nevada Highway Patrol found Cockrell in his car and arrested him, the sheriff's department said. Cockrell is being held at a Clark County, Nevada jail on a warrant for attempted murder. His bail was set at $1 million.

The Mall of Victor Valley saw multiple shootings last year, including one in November that left a 35-year-old man dead and an 8-year-old girl and her 19-year-old brother injured. Another shooting was reported in December when sheriff's officials said a gunman fired shots at two juvenile victims, who were not hit.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: California mall shooting: 9-year-old shot before seeing Easter Bunny