An 8-month-old girl is fighting for her life after her 3-year-old brother accidentally shot her in the face in a New Mexico motel room while their mother and her boyfriend were in a shower.
The baby is in critical condition following the incident on Saturday in Gallup, New Mexico.
According to police, Shayanne Nelson, 18, and her boyfriend, Tyrell Bitsilly, 21, were in a motel shower when Nelson’s child found a gun and accidentally shot the baby.
Officers arrived at the hotel along the historic Route 66 to find an adult holding a baby with a gunshot wound to her face.
Nelson told police she didn’t know a gun was in the room and that it may have been left by a previous occupant. She told officers her son had most probably found the gun and began playing with it.
Police said no other adults were in the room when the pair went to take a shower.
A witness told police he saw Bitsilly wipe the gun after the shooting.
The baby was taken to Gallup Indian Medical Center.
Nelson and Bitsilly face child abuse charges and were booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center. Bitsilly also was charged with tampering with evidence. Court records show Nelson was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. Bitsilly was held on a $70,000 bond.