WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Wichita Falls woman is charged with abuse of her 8-year-old daughter at a domestic violence shelter.

Niki Gomez is charged with one count of injury to a child with bodily injury.

Police said they were contacted February 27, 2023, by a Child Protective Services investigator about a child at school with a head injury.

An officer photographed the injury on the back right side of the victim’s head, which was missing hair and was pink and very sensitive to touch, to the point when hair was moved to take the photo the girl began to cry.

The girl said she got the injury the day before when her mother became mad at her when they were walking back to their room at the First Step shelter, and she grabbed her by the hair and yanked her into their room, and she fell on the floor.  She said it hurt, and she started crying, and Gomez told her to quit being dramatic and get in bed.

Police said video of the incident shows Gomez and her children walking to the room and Gomez going inside followed by her 2-year-old and then as the 8-year-old reaches the doorway, they said Gomez grabbed her with her left hand on the back of the girl’s head and forcefully pulled her into the room and the girl is seen falling on the floor.

Police interviewed Gomez and said this was her account:

She said she had been having a bad day and a panic attack that was lasting all day.

She said on the morning of the incident, she was eating breakfast and her children were playing. She said she was told by staff that her children could not be left unattended, so she threw her breakfast away and took them back to their room and the 8-year-old fell on the floor.

She said, as her daughter was falling, she tried to grab her by her shirt collar and pull her into the room.  She said once in the room, the girl was crying out that it hurt and was holding her neck.

She told her to quit causing a scene and being dramatic and to get into bed.

She first denied pulling her daughter by her hair, then said she meant to grab her by the collar.

Police said her version did not match the video and that the victim did not fall until she was grabbed by the hair.

Police said Gomez and her children were staying in the shelter due to previous incidents.