Update: Store owner in Victor Valley Mall shooting won’t fight Nevada extradition
LAS VEGAS — A Mall of Victor Valley store owner jailed in Las Vegas as a fugitive accused of wounding a 9-year-old girl when he allegedly shot at shoplifters three days ago said he wouldn't contest his transfer in custody back to Victorville to face criminal charges.
Marqel Cockrell, 20, stood in court to tell a judge he understood he will be extradited within 30 days. He was not represented by an attorney.
Cockrell is being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, a nearly 3-hour drive on Interstate 15 from Victorville, where police said he faces at least one attempted murder charge.
The girl, identified by family members as Ava Chruniak, had been waiting with family members to have her photo taken with the Easter bunny at the Mall of Victor Valley when she was struck by three gunshots, including a bullet that fractured an arm bone, according to her grandmother, Robin Moraga-Saldarelli.
Police said in a statement that Cockrell co-owns the shoe store Sole Addicts and was chasing shoplifters at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when he allegedly fired shots that "instead hit the 9-year-old female victim."
Cockrell reportedly drove away before police arrived. He was arrested about 9 p.m. Tuesday by Nevada Highway Patrol troopers.
The other co-owner of Sole Addicts did not return messages about the incident but did post on the store's official Instagram account that the business would officially close.
"My business partner intentions was never to harm this little girl, and I know he would want this little girl to be ok," the post read.
Family members say Ava is recovering well at the hospital.
This is the 9 yr old girl, injured yesterday when a store owner chasing alleged shoplifters opened fire inside a Victorville mall. That store owner is now facing attempted murder charges. @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/ZtcjLUmWRK
— Tina Patel (@tina_patel) April 13, 2022
"The bullet that hit Ava in the lower arm missed Madeline's head by about an inch," grandmother Robin Moraga-Saldarelli told NBC Los Angeles.
One of the bullets fractured a bone, Moraga-Saldarelli told Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles.
“And it's the kind of fracture they can't surgically fix. She's going to have to wear a special brace for it, and it's going to take a lot longer to heal," she said.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: 9-year-old girl shot while waiting to see Easter Bunny in Victorville
