'Mommy did it': Mother slammed infant face down on the floor after night of fighting with another woman, deputies say

Shaniqua Gibson (Raleigh County Sheriff's Office).

A West Virginia mother is behind bars for slamming her infant on the floor following a night of fighting, Mountain State authorities say.

Shaniqua Gibson, 34, stands accused of one count of child neglect with risk of death or injury, according to Raleigh County jail records.

The underlying incident occurred during the early morning hours on Dec. 21, according to the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office.

Just before 3 a.m., deputies were dispatched in response to a child abuse and neglect complaint, according to law enforcement sources cited by regional West Virginia online news website Lootpress.

After arriving at the residence in question, deputies met with the complaining party, who appears to be the father of the victim. The man said he had several friends over when Gibson got into a physical altercation with another woman, according to the sheriff's office.

At some point, the two women began pulling each other's hair and were "trying to kill each other," the man reportedly told law enforcement – pinning the escalation into violence on the defendant.

As the fight went on, the man intervened, broke things up, and then convinced both women to leave his residence, authorities say.

But that was not quite the end.

The man said Gibson returned later that same night and another confrontation soon occurred in the driveway. The man surmised that an all-day-long bad mood – allegedly exhibited by Gibson – was, at least in part, responsible for what eventually happened, deputies said.

Later still, the man went upstairs and found his 1-year-old child crying. That was apparently too much for the defendant, who allegedly grabbed the infant, slammed the baby down onto the floor, and held them there face down, according to law enforcement.

The child had visible abrasions on their nose, which was consistent with the account provided by the man, the sheriff's office said.

The man also said the couple's 4-year-old daughter witnessed the attack on the infant.

In the presence of law enforcement, the girl allegedly sat up in bed and confirmed: "Mommy did it."

The investigation is said to be ongoing.

No bail or court information is available as of this writing.