FEMALE SUFFERS GUNSHOT WOUND TO LEG IN SAME DESERT AREA WHERE TEEN DIED FROM SIMILAR INCIDENT ALMOST 2 YEARS AGO

               3850 Justice Dr. El Paso, Texas 79938                    

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Deputy Jesse Tovar / PUBLIC AFFAIRS     

Direct: (915) 538-2223

Pager: (915) 533-0733 (#5370)

EMAIL: jtovar@epcounty.com

Release Date & Time: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 12:15 PM  

WHO: EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (PATROL DIVISION) 

WHAT: FEMALE SUFFERS FROM GUNSHOT WOUND TO LEG IN SAME DESERT AREA WHERE TEEN DIED FROM SIMILAR INCIDENT 2 YEARS AGO

WHEN: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2009 11:05 PM

WHERE: DESERT AREA BEHIND THE SOCORRO STUDENT ACTIVITY COMPLEX (SAC)

 WHY: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

EL PASO, TEXAS- Late Monday night 02-23-09 at approximately 11:05 PM, Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to R.E. Thomason Hospital in reference to a female victim suffering from a gunshot wound which occurred in El Paso County, TX. Deputies arrived a short time later and met the 18 year-old Victim who had a gunshot wound to her leg. The victim told Deputies earlier that night (about 9:00 PM) she and her two friends were in the desert area behind the Socorro Student Activity Center (SAC). The Victim stated she and her friends could hear quads and gun fire in the distance but did not think anything about it. The Victim stated one of the times they heard gun fire & she suddenly felt a burning sensation on her left thigh and then a sharp pain in her right ankle. The Victim did not know what happened until her friends pointed out & told her she was bleeding. The Victim’s friends placed her in a vehicle and transported her to Thomason Hospital. It remains unknown who fired the shots or from which direction the shots came from. The Victim and her friends were also not sure about the exact location where they were since it was too dark to tell.

According to Medical staff, it appears that the bullet entered the Victim`s left outer thigh, exited through the inner thigh and embedded it self in the inner part of her ankle. Emergency Staff stated they would not be taking the bullet out due it causing more damage to the Victim`s ankle.

THIS SHOOTING REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

THE IDENTITY OF THE INJURED WILL NOT BE RELEASED AT THIS TIME.

NO OTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.

“This desert area is not a recreational target shooting area- it is surrounded by many residences & heavily traveled roadways”- said DEPUTY JESSE TOVAR EPCSO PIO

Anyone who knows any information or knows who is responsible for the shooting, please contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 546-2280 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso at (915) 566-TIPS (8477). ALL CALLERS WILL REMAIN ANONYMOUS.

PREVIOUS INCIDENT SEE BELOW:

(SHERIFF’S OFFICE ARCHIVES: SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2007 CASE REMAINS OPEN)

EL PASO COUNTY, TX – SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2007 11:30 PM

Preliminary Investigation:

El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to 12700 Starduster in Far East El Paso County in reference to a shooting that had just occurred. Prior to their arrival deputies were advised that the female victim was transported to Del Sol Hospital by witnesses. The victim was then transported by ambulance to R.E. Thomason Hospital. When deputies arrived at the scene they met with witnesses and located the crime scene. While deputies were securing the crime scene some unknown suspects(s) began to shoot at the direction of the deputies. Deputies then took cover and attempted to locate where the shots were coming from. None of the deputies were injured. Deputies did not return fire.

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team, Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers, U.S. Border Patrol Agents, and officers from the Horizon City Police Department were called to assist. Deputies and other assisting officers covered approximately 4 square miles of desert area attempting to locate other possible victims, witnesses, and or suspects. Deputies located and detained four individuals in the desert area that had weapons. It is unknown at this time if the individuals were involved in the shooting.

The deceased was identified as Thelma Fierro (14 years old) of the 8500 block of Tigris, El Paso, Texas. She was pronounced dead at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 26, 2007. She died at R.E. Thomason General Hospital as a result of her injuries.

“We appreciate those individuals who have come forward with information. We encourage anyone who was at the incident Saturday night to continue to call us with any information. Some people may think the information they have to offer is of no value, it is best to allow law enforcement to make that determination,” said Sergeant Jim Belknap, Criminal Investigation Division, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office- AUGUST 2007.

The above mentioned case remains open- The Sheriff’ s Office urges anyone who may have any information pertaining to this unsolved Homicide to please come forward and contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 546-2280 or Crime Stoppers of El Paso at (915) 566-TIPS (8477). ALL CALLERS WILL REMAIN ANONYMOUS.

Quick Tips for Responsible Shooting -

Courtesy of Tread Lightly.org 

Travel responsibly on designated roads, trails, and areas.

• Practice target shooting and other shooting sports only on lands opened to shooting.

• Comply with all signs and barriers.

Respect the rights of others including private property owners and all recreational trail users, campers and others to allow them to enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed.

• Be considerate of others on the road, trail or within the shooting area.

• Never take a shot unless you see the target clearly and you know what lies between you, the target, and beyond.

• DO NOT shoot at night

• Property such as signs, kiosks, and buildings are not targets.

• Don’t shoot across roads, trails, waterways or into caves.

• Do not shoot in developed recreation sites such as campgrounds, trailheads, parking areas or boat launches.

• If crossing private property, be sure to ask permission from the landowner(s).

Educate yourself by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies, planning for your trip, taking recreation skills classes, and knowing how to use and operate your equipment safely.

• It is your responsibility to contact the land manager to learn of any permit requirements, closures or restrictions related to shooting sports.

• Obtain a map of your destination and determine which areas are open to your type of travel.

• Make a realistic plan, and stick to it. Always tell someone of your travel plans.

• Check the weather forecast before you go.

• Prepare for the unexpected by packing a small backpack full of emergency items.

Avoid sensitive areas such as meadows, lakeshores, wetlands and streams. Stay on designated routes.

• Don’t use trees and other natural objects as targets. These impacts leave a permanent negative image about shooters relationship with nature.

Do your part by leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species, restoring degraded areas, and joining a local enthusiast organization.

• Do not shoot household appliances and other objects dumped in shooting areas. It is misconstrued that shooters are the dumpers.

• Don’t mix shooting with alcohol or drugs.

END OF NEWS RELEASE

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in March of 2001 was the first Sheriff’s Office in the State of Texas to be Internationally Accredited from CALEA and is now the recipient of the First CALEA Tri-Arc award in Texas (4^th in the Nation) to have accreditations in: Law Enforcement, Communications, Training Academy.