Guns, marijuana and Mexican lager allegedly were in the mix in an accidental shooting in the Vista Verde Village trailer park east of Cortez on Aug. 25, according to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office.
A woman in a shed behind Unit No. 41 was sitting on a bed when she was grazed by a bullet that went through a wall, causing a superficial leg wound.
Responding to a 911 call, sheriff deputies arrived, and after an investigation issued resident Kevin Ward, 22, a court summons for reckless endangerment and prohibited use of a weapon.
According to the incident report, Ward told deputies he had sat on his AR-15 rifle, causing it to fire a round accidentally. The exit hole from the bedroom of the trailer home matched the trajectory of the entrance hole into the adjacent shed.
In the room where the shot was fired, deputies observed “various containers of marijuana and empty Mexican lager beer cans.” They further observed that Ward slurred his speech and had difficulty standing.
Deputies found the rifle under a bed with a round in the chamber and 18 rounds in a 20-round magazine, according to the police report. A loaded handgun in a holster was also lying on the floor in the room.
Two children were sleeping in a room next door when the incident occurred. The weapons were confiscated by deputies as evidence.