Kemper Elementary School in Cortez was locked down and evacuated on Wednesday due to an armed standoff between police and a male suspect at a house adjacent to the school.
All students were evacuated safely and taken to the Cortez Public Library where school busses took them home or their parents picked them up
Authorities used ambulances to cover the students and block line of sight from the crime scene during the evacuation.
Police were first called just before 11:00 Wednesday morning regarding a domestic dispute at the residence, which is on the corner of North Adams St and Montezuma Ave.
During the dispute shots were fired.
According to the County Office of Emergency Management, a female victim was shot in the leg and was transported to the hospital.
Her condition was not immediately clear.
Law enforcement descended on the residence in just seconds from the first call, according to Cortez Police Chief Vernon Knuckles.
Heavily armed officers then surrounded the residence, trying to negotiate a peaceful surrender with the unknown male suspect, who was presumed to be barricaded inside.
The officers prepared riot shields, and even a remote-controlled robot, for possible entry into the building.
But according to Chief Knuckles, after an hours-long standoff, officers received information indicating that the suspect was most likely no longer in the house.
After that, the situation was no longer considered as dangerous, and law enforcement began processing the scene for evidence.
Teachers were also allowed to return to Kemper Elementary to retrieve their belongings.
Although law enforcement planned to search inside the house, a judge denied a requested search warrant so they were not able to enter.
During the standoff, three individuals apart from the suspect - a child, a second female, and a male - were removed from the house unharmed.
A handgun and at least one bullet casing were also recovered from the front yard.
Law enforcement officials from the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office, the Cortez Police Department, and the Colorado State Patrol were on scene, with support from the Cortez Fire Department and other emergency services.
Montezuma Avenue was closed for much of the day between Harrison St. and North Park St,
And the High School Homecoming Parade, which was scheduled for Wednesday evening, was cancelled due to recommendations from the Cortez Police Department.
The investigation is ongoing.
