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Woman injured in shooting near Kemper Elementary is identified

Cortez Police investigate a shooting at a home next to Kemper Elementary Sept. 15. (Jim Mimiaga/The Journal)
Woman was found in back of car on the way to hospital, police say

The victim of a shooting in Cortez Sept. 15 at a residence next to Kemper Elementary has been identified.

Tanya Ahasteen was found lying in the back seat of a vehicle with a bullet wound to her leg, according to a Cortez police report.

The vehicle had been pulled over by police because it had reportedly left the scene of the shooting at the corner of Montezuma Avenue and Adams Street. The police stopped the vehicle at the corner of Mildred Road and Empire Street.

Officers found that Ahasteen was suffering from a bullet wound to her left leg midway between her hip and knee cap, according to officer Tyson Cox.

Cox applied a tourniquet above the wound and held a pressure bandage until medics arrived.

While receiving first aid, Ahasteen stated that “he” shot her but did not go into further details, according to the report. She was transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital by EMTs.

The female driver was detained for questioning, then released, said Assistant Cortez Police Chief Andy Brock. They were on their way to the hospital, he said.

The shooter is suspected to be Gerardo Arturo Federico, according to the Cortez Police Department. He had not been arrested as of Thursday, Brock said.

Cortez police were called to 546 E. Montezuma Ave. for a fight, which then escalated to a shooting, in which an adult female was shot in the leg.

The shooting forced Kemper students to evacuate the building. Police, thinking that Federico was inside the house, spent hours trying to persuade Federico to come outside.

Students of Kemper Elementary were evacuated Sept. 15 after a shooting occurred at a residence next door. (Jim Mimiaga/The Journal)