New Mexico shooting: Motive for teenager who killed 3 elderly women in Farmington remains unknown, police say

CNN
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Three elderly women out on a morning commute this week were the innocent targets of an 18-year-old gunman who fired indiscriminately through a New Mexico neighborhood, police have confirmed, as investigators work to uncover a motive for yet another deadly incident in the US . plague of gun violence.

Gwendolyn Schofield, 98, her daughter Melody Ivie, 73, and Shirley Volta, 79, were killed Monday by Beau Adam Wilson, who police shot and killed after he roamed more than a quarter mile of the small town of Farmington with an AR- rifle. and two other weapons that apparently fire at random, police said.

Wilson had lived in the neighborhood and was a student at Farmington High School, they said.

“The amount of violence and brutality that these innocent people were subjected to is something that is unconscionable to me,” Farmington Deputy Police Chief Kyle Dowdy said Tuesday at a news conference. “Killing three innocent elderly women who were just absolutely unable to defend themselves will always be a tragedy.”

Others, including police officers, were wounded in what has become one of 226 mass shootings — with four or more victims shot — this year in the United States, where people often fell prey while out doing everyday tasks like grocery shopping, going to school and go to work.

Authorities are still investigating how the shooter came into possession of the firearms, all of which were purchased legally, Dowdy said. They believe two were owned by a family member of Wilson’s, who turned 18 in October and bought the third gun in November, he said.

Some relatives interviewed by law enforcement expressed concern about Wilson’s mental health, Dowdy said, adding that it is not clear if he had been diagnosed with any problems. Wilson had only “minor run-ins” with law enforcement before the violent attack, the deputy chief said.

Hundreds of 911 calls had poured in to authorities as gunfire echoed through the neighborhood, located in a commercial hub near Southwest’s Four Corners.

Six people, including two police officers who were shot, were treated at a local hospital and released, Farmington Deputy Chief Baric Crum said Tuesday. Several others, including some injured by exploding glass, were treated and released at the scene, he said.

“This incident appears to be purely random and had no specific goals or motives that we can identify at this time,” Dowdy said, reiterating that the investigation is still ongoing.

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At least 150 shells were found across the sprawling scene, Dowdy said, although it was not immediately clear how many were fired by the gunman. The four police officers who stopped the attacker shot 16 times, the authorities said.

Farmington police Sgt. Rachel Discenza was wounded in the shootout with the assailant, and New Mexico State Police Trooper Andreas Stamatidas was shot when he arrived at the scene, Crum said.