Police officers on Friday morning arrested Kaylee Sanders, 21, on suspicion of second-degree murder in the shooting of her brother in an apartment on the south side of Cortez.
About 1:28 a.m. July 28, the suspect’s grandmother informed 911 dispatchers about the shooting, saying Sanders shot her brother, Morgan Salgado, in the head while in the living room of an apartment at 516 S. Madison St.
Dispatch heard the suspect yelling that she shot her brother in the head and that “he never leaves me alone.”
The grandmother said she did not think the suspect was “OK.”
Officers from the Cortez Police Department at the scene advised the grandmother to come toward them outside the home. As the grandmother approached the officers, Sanders walked outside with a handgun in her hand, according to the affidavit.
At the end of the recording, Detective Koby Guttridge, who wrote the affidavit, reported hearing the two officers at the scene say “drop the gun” multiple times.
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The suspect reportedly did not comply and pointed the pistol in their direction and fired a shot into the air. While one officer took cover and the second officer, Sgt. Rogelio Maynard, retrieved his rifle, they lost sight of Sanders as she walked northbound with the firearm in her hands.
Officer Jerry Sam entered the apartment and saw the deceased victim on the couch. He did not render aid and told the relative who called 911 to stay inside with the doors locked.
Medics and crews from the Cortez Fire Protection District staged at the scene and responded once the scene was deemed safe.
The grandmother was taken to a safe location before officers secured the apartment, the affidavit said.
Police arrested Sanders at 3:19 a.m. on South Broadway, with the firearm still in her possession. After her Miranda rights were given, police said she muttered she had methamphetamine in her system.
After the dispatch report of the shooting, a text and email from the Montezuma County Emergency Alert System about 2:10 a.m. advised residents within a mile of 500 S. Madison St. to remain behind locked doors and windows. A follow-up message about 3:30 a.m. said the incident had been resolved and asked that residents do not call dispatchers about the incident, “as they can’t release info.”
