Tanya Croll, 36, was charged with Child Abuse Resulting in Great Bodily Harm and Negligent Use of a Deadly Weapon after a weekend shooting incident in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Croll was accused of shooting her 12-year-old cousin in the back while he was getting food from a refrigerator Saturday night.
The boy’s mother told investigators with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department that she and boy were on the other side of the home watching television. The mom said the boy decided to walk across the home to grab a soda.
According to Croll, she was inside her bedroom when she heard a noise coming from the kitchen and thought there was an intruder in the house.
Court documents said Croll told investigators the boy “looked like the damn boogeyman.” Croll shot him with a 9mm gun while he was reaching into the refrigerator.
Croll lives in the mobile home with her aunt, uncle and the boy. She admitted to having “four or five sips of moonshine” before the shooting.
During the investigation, Croll told detectives that she was having problems lately with hearing voices.
The boy was airlifted to University Medical Center in El Paso where he was listed in stable condition.
Croll was held in the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
(Information from elpasoproud.com)