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Woman faces assault charges in shooting
No one was injured in the shooting.
YOUNGSTOWN — A city woman is in jail on a $100,000 bond after police said she shot at a 10-year-old child in what is described as a dispute between the two families.
Cheyeyey Cortez, 31, of East Ravenwood Avenue, shed tears Monday during a video arraignment before Judge Robert A. Douglas Jr. of Youngstown Municipal Court. The judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered her, if released, to not have contact with the 10-year-old girl or the girl’s family.
Cortez is charged with felonious assault and a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm within the city limits.
Cortez spent the weekend in Mahoning County jail after police say the girl, who was walking to her aunt’s house in the 200 block of Ravenwood on Friday, was confronted by Cortez, who was upset and carrying a firearm.
The girl said Cortez used foul language and spoke about a pending fight between the girl and Cortez’s daughter.
The girl said Cortez told her to “come here” or get her mother.
The girl told police she noticed the gun and watched Cortez raise the weapon and fire one shot before she ran in the direction of her aunt’s home.
Several officers went to speak with Cortez, who reportedly told officers she knew it was wrong to fire the gun, but she was fearful for her children’s safety because the girl had threatened to bring her family to the house for violence.
Cortez, according to reports, told officers she fired the gun in the air and did not point the weapon at or fire any shots in the girl’s direction.
According to police reports, however, officers did speak to several witnesses who said Cortez did fire the gun at the girl.
Officers found one spent shell casing in front of Cortez’s home and confiscated one firearm from a bedroom closet and a loaded clip from a dresser drawer in an upstairs bedroom.
jgoodwin@vindy.com