New Mexico shooter that killed 3 identified as Farmington High School student
A New Mexico teenager was identified by police on Tuesday as the gunman who appeared to kill three people at random before responding officers fatally shot him.
Beau Wilson, 18, was fatally shot by Farmington police while confronting him around 11 a.m. MT Monday, Deputy Police Chief Kyle Dowdy told reporters.
Wilson was a student at Farmington High School, where graduation was scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
All three of those killed were elderly women, two in their 70s and one in their 90s, said Deputy Police Commissioner Baric Crum. The oldest victim was the mother of one of the other victims.
According to Dowdy, a doorbell camera recorded Wilson’s first shots, which police said fired at 10:56 a.m., a minute before Farmington police officers were dispatched to the neighborhood near Ute Street and Dustin Avenue.
Officers arrived at 11:02 a.m. and found Wilson opening fire before the gunman was gunned down at 11:06 a.m., police said.
“The suspect was shot and an officer was shot at almost the same time,” Dowdy said.
The gunman appeared to be firing at the victims indiscriminately as at least six homes and three cars were hit by gunfire, police said.
And so far, police have been unable to connect Wilson to the three victims who were killed.
“It appears to be purely coincidental and had no specific targets or motives that we can identify at this time,” Dowdy said.
According to Mayor Nate Duckett, two police officers, officers from the Farmington Department and one from the state police, were injured but discharged from the hospital.
San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari said his agency was tasked with investigating the response of the officer who fired 16 shots.
The teenager used at least three weapons, including what boss Steve Hebbe called an AR-style rifle.
A representative of Farmington Municipal Schools could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.
The beginning of high school was supposed to take place Tuesday at 7pm MT.
This is an evolving story. Please check again for updates.
Andrew Blankstein contributed.
