By Roger Lanse

On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, at about 3:49 p.m., Grant County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Gila Regional Medical Center in reference to a patient in the ER with a gunshot wound. They made contact with Ramon Hurtado, 31, of North Hurley, who advised he had accidently shot himself in his left hand.

According to a police report, Hurtado claimed while he was out toward Mangas Valley and Red Rock, he dropped his .40 caliber Glock Model 22 in in the dirt from the tailgate of his vehicle. To clean the dirt off his weapon, he stated he removed the magazine and when he attempted to rack the slide to clear the chambered round he must have pulled the trigger. Deputies advised Hurtado must have had his left hand over the muzzle of the pistol while attempting to rack the slide and the bullet entered the lower part of his palm under his pinky finger and exited on that side of his hand closer to the wrist. The report said after the accident, he stated he drove to his friend’s house in Bayard, who then drove Hurtado to the hospital.

Hurtado was treated and released from the hospital and given a ride to his vehicle, which was parked on Winifred Street in Bayard, by deputies. The report stated deputies received consent from Hurtado to search his vehicle from which they were able to recover the gun. The weapon did appear to have blood on it. The weapon was run through NCIC and came back clear.

The Glock was made safe, according to the report, and a gun lock was placed on it before releasing it back to Hurtado.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.