SoCal Store Owner Fires At Shoplifters, Shoots 9-Year-Old Girl

VICTORVILLE, CA — The owner of a shoe store in Southern California was arrested this week after he opened fire at shoplifters but ended up shooting a 9-year-old girl, authorities said.

Marqel Cockrell, 20, fled the state after the shooting, but police found him in his vehicle in Nevada hours later, the Victorville Police Department said in a statement.

Cockrell was chasing shoplifters out of his store, Sole Addicts, on Tuesday evening at the Mall of Victor Valley in Victorville when he fired multiple shots at them around 6:30 p.m., officials said.

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

The girl was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center and was in stable condition. She was not identified.

Cockrell was booked in at the Clark County Jail on Tuesday on an extraditable warrant, for attempted murder. His bail was set at $1,000,000., police said.

Anyone with information about this incident was urged to contact the Victorville Police Department at 760-241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous were asked to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or tips may be left on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.