9-Year-Old Child Dies As Parents Allegedly Wait Hours To Call 911

A nine-year-old bot who was fatally shot in the head in Arizona may have had a chance of surviving [...]

By William Cannon

A nine-year-old bot who was fatally shot in the head in Arizona may have had a chance of surviving if his parents had quickly called 911. Instead of allegedly spending hours cleaning up blood and other evidence.

Kansas and Wendy Lavarnia have each been charged with a single count of murder for their alleged failure to seek immediate medical care for son Landen Lavarnia. The boy was shot at the family's Phoenix home on Monday afternoon.

In addition, Kansas, 31, faces child abuse and hindering prosecution charges. Both parents remain in police custody on $1 million bail. They have not entered pleas or retained attorneys.

A police spokesman said Landen was shot under suspicious circumstances and that investigators have yet to determine who fired the fatal bullet, although Wendy, 28, claimed their son was shot by his 2-year-old brother.

Hospital officials pronounced Landen dead on Tuesday.

Phoenix police Sgt. Vince Lewis said at a news conference Wednesday that evidence gathered from the scene of the shooting "implies that a significant amount of time and effort was taken prior to contacting emergency services" to wash away blood and conceal other evidence.

Police were first made aware of the shooting late Monday, when Wendy called 911 and told police her 2-year-old son shot his brother after she left a loaded gun on a bed.

Officers arrived to find Landen on the floor. Wendy's call was allegedly "hours" after the shooting.

As detectives arrived at the scene, Wendy told them her husband wasn't home at the time of the shooting. But police quickly disproved that claim and they discovered Kansas had, himself, been shot in the arm.

Police believe that the man tried disguising his wound — using a screwdriver to puncture the skin around the bullet hole. At this point, investigators are still considering the possibility that the bullet that entered and exited Kansas' left arm was the very same bullet that killed Landen.

Following Landen's shooting, his three siblings are in the department's care.

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[H/T People]

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