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New Mexico witnessed a new shooting this Monday, May 15. According to state police, at least four were killed, including the 18-year-old attacker, who died at the scene. The authorities assured that the investigation into the incident continues.
At least three people were killed and several more injured Monday after a shooting in Farmington, northern New Mexico.
“There are multiple civilian casualties,” Farmington police confirmed in a Facebook post. In it they also reported that a suspect “was confronted and killed at the scene.” As later detailed, he was 18 years old.
“The identity of the suspect is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” the statement said, ahead of a news conference.
The shooting occurred around 11:00 am (local time) in the town of about 50,000 people near the Navajo Nation, which is a bedroom community for the region’s oil and natural gas industry.
Officials called the scene “chaotic.” When they arrived at the place they found a man shooting at people on a residential street, Farmington Deputy Police Chief Baric Crum said during a news conference.
“In addition to the suspect himself, who died, nine other people were injured,” Crum added. As the AP shows, it wasn’t clear if it included two officers who were shot.. Both are in stable condition at the San Juan Regional Medical Center.
An official with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Megan Mitchell, called the incident “an open and active ongoing investigation.” She did not elaborate.
For his part, Crum ruled that investigators will now have to analyze a crime scene that spans several blocks. Police are asking anyone with information to pitch in.
“What we now need from our community is anyone who has additional information, whether it’s eyewitness information or video information, or whatever, if you feel it’s relevant,” the deputy chief.
Armed violence “paralyzed the small community with fear”
After the facts, heGovernor Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke in a statement. In it, she noted that she was praying for the families of the victims and that the incident “serves as yet another reminder of how gun violence destroys lives” in the state and across the country.
“I am deeply upset by the tragic violence that unfolded today in Farmington. I am praying for the families of the victims, the wounded and the entire community of Farmington following this horrific tragedy.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) May 15, 2023
For her part, Democratic representative Teresa Leger Fernández, whose district includes the area, stated that: “Today, gun violence claimed the lives of our elders, injured two police officers and paralyzed the small community of Farmington with fear.”
“Our beautiful New Mexico is not immune to the mass shootings that occur across the country,” he added.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that Phoenix officers were heading to Farmington to assist in the investigation.
Gun Violence on the Rise in the US
It is not the first time that Farmington has witnessed events like these. Last month, Police killed an armed homeowner in his own home and then exchanged fire with his wife, after officers showed up at the wrong address in response to a domestic violence call.
While in 2017, Farmington was also the scene of a shooting fatal shooting at a high school in which a gunman killed two students before taking his own life.
The United States has witnessed at least 225 shootings massive this year, according to the nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive. The group defines a shooting mass as any in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the shooter.
With Reuters and AP
