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Phoenix Police: Child's shooting death wasn't an accident; mother's story was inconsistent

Published  April 20, 2017 4:34am MST
Nicole Garcia's Reports
FOX 10 Phoenix

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A Phoenix mother frantically called 9-1-1 after her son was shot in the head, but police say what she told dispatchers about what happened was a lie. Now we're hearing the 9-1-1 call Wendy Lavarnia made after 9-year-old Landen Lavarnia was shot.

Sadly, an innocent boy has died and his parents are in jail, charged with his murder. Police say Lavarnia initially lied about what happened and delayed calling 9-1-1 as she tried to clean up evidence of the crime. It's unknown that if she had called 9-1-1 sooner if Landen would still be alive.

Dispatcher: "9-1-1 what is your emergency?"

Lavarnia: "My son. He's 8, he's 9 years old, he was just shot by his baby brother. I need someone at my house."

Dispatcher: "Take a deep breath and tell me again what happened."

9-1-1 Dispatchers had a hard time understanding Lavarnia, who was frantic and unintelligible at times as she called for help.

Dispatcher: "Tell me what the emergency is slowly."

Lavarnia: "My son, my son.. he is 9 years old. He was shot in the head."

Dispatcher: "Okay, how did that happen?"

Lavarnia: "He is 9 years old.. my baby brother.. I got my gun down.. I put it on my bed like an idiot and my son.. I didn't think he could fire it and he shot it and my 9 year old was standing up playing video games."

Dispatchers gave her instructions to try and save the boy's life. Lavarnia described her son as practically lifeless.

"His lips are turning a little blue. His eyes are a little open.. he's not responding though."

Dispatcher: "What I want you to do.. dry clean cloth.. we want to control the bleeding... He wasn't holding the gun when it happened, correct?"

Lavarnia: "No, he wasn't holding the gun, my 2 year old was."

But police say this shooting was no accident and that the mother's story was inconsistent with what they found in the house.

Officials say the couple waited to call for help -- cleaning up the blood and evidence as their son lay bleeding and dying.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety removed Landen and his siblings from their parents' care in 2014, but they regained custody two years later.

Kansas Lavarnia has a criminal record that includes drugs, theft and weapons. He's a felon who wasn't supposed to posses a gun. Wendy Lavarnia has a record of chronic substance abuse. Both have been charged with first-degree murder and have pleaded not guilty.