Four people, including a suspect, were killed and two police officers wounded during a shooting in northwest New Mexico on Monday, authorities said.
Three “civilian victims” were killed, Farmington police said, in addition to one suspect who was “confronted and killed on scene.”
One Farmington police officer and one member of the state police were also wounded, Farmington police said. Both were listed in stable condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center.
“The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” according to a police statement. “At this time we don’t believe there is a second suspect.”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham thanked police for a quick response.
“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,” she said in a statement. “I’m also grateful for the quick response by law enforcement. My administration will not stop fighting the epidemic of gun violence from every angle possible.”
Police had Farmington Municipal Schools lock down at 11:15 a.m. MT, officials said. That order was lifted by 1:05 p.m.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and San Juan County Sheriff’s deputies also responded to the shooting.
Investigators were concentrating their work on Dustin Avenue between Ute and Apache streets in Farmington, officials said.
The city, with a population of a little over 46,000, is about 200 miles northwest of Santa Fe, the state’s capital.
The community — near the famed Four Corners where the borders of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona meet — is also close to three major Native American reservations. The Navajo, Ute Mountain Indians and Southern Utes are all in close proximity of Farmington.
New Mexico’s four members of Congress — Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez — issued a joint statement, thanking first responders and vowing to fight gun violence via federal legislation.
“We are devastated by today’s mass shooting in Farmington, New Mexico,” they said. “As we await further updates, we are grateful to our state and local law enforcement officers who responded to the scene, and to our health care providers who are caring for those injured. Our hearts are with the families of the deceased and those injured.”
Monday’s mass shooting comes on the heels of two others in the past nine days. Two people were killed and five others were injured in a shooting Saturday night in Yuma, Arizona, police said.
Seven victims, all male, were found with gunshot wounds. Two of the victims, 19 and 20 years old, were taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. No suspects were in custody.
A week before that shooting, a gunman killed eight people at a Dallas-area outlet mall.
The 33-year-old shooter, a neo-Nazi sympathizer with an AR-15-style assault weapon, was killed by an officer who happened to be at the shopping center in Allen, authorities said.
The victims included a young boy and his parents, two elementary school-age sisters, a security guard working toward his goals and an engineer with a new master’s degree.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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