NATCHEZ —The Adams County mother accused of shooting her 12-year-old daughter told a judge Tuesday she was four months pregnant, an appeal she apparently hoped would reduce her time behind bars.

Judge Hyde Carby set a $500,000 bond for Cynthia Skipper, 36, 742 Lower Woodville Road, during an arraignment hearing in Adams County Justice Court.

Skipper claimed in court that she is a “high-risk” pregnancy in an apparent attempt to avoid further jail time.

Adams County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jerry Brown said Skipper was to be transported Tuesday to a medical center for a pregnancy test. The test results were not immediately known.

Skipper remained in ACSO custody Tuesday and was not expected to make bond, Brown said.

Skipper and her daughter allegedly had an altercation Friday night, after which Skipper retrieved a gun and reportedly shot her daughter from behind as the girl was sitting in a recliner chair in their residence. The bullet went through the back of the recliner and struck the girl in the shoulder.

Brown said Tuesday alcohol appears to have been factor in the altercation, as Skipper had possibly been drinking that night.

The girl was airlifted to a Jackson hospital for treatment following the shooting.

The bullet has not been removed, Brown said, because it is fragmented and in soft tissue. Doctors will likely not perform surgery, Brown said.

The girl was scheduled to be released from the hospital Tuesday.

Skipper was charged with attempted murder following the incident.

Multiple children — 9 years old and younger — were in the house when the shooting took place, Brown has said. The children are now staying with relatives, Brown said.No one else was reported injured during the shooting.

Brown has said deputies have responded to multiple domestic disturbance calls at the family’s residence, at least one of those calls in recent weeks.