Teenaged gunman kills 3, wounds 6 in US

Published May 17, 2023
A bullet hole with an evidence marker, which went through a rear window of a car parked across the street where a gunman was shooting at random people on N Dustin Avenue on May 16 in Farmington, New Mexico. — AFP
A bullet hole with an evidence marker, which went through a rear window of a car parked across the street where a gunman was shooting at random people on N Dustin Avenue on May 16 in Farmington, New Mexico. — AFP

Albuquerque (New Mexico, US): An 18-year-old gunman stalked through a New Mexico neighbourhood on Monday firing randomly at bystanders, houses and cars, killing three people and wounding six before police shot him dead outside a church, authorities said.

The late-morning shooting spree unfolded in a residential area of Farmington, New Mexico, a major retail centre and regional hub for the fossil energy industry about 290 km northwest of Albuquerque.

Police responded “to find a chaotic scene where a male subject was actively firing upon individuals in that neighborhood,” Baric Crum, deputy chief of operations for the Farmington Police Department, said in a news briefing hours later.

Three civilians were killed and six people were wounded, including two officers struck in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect before he was fatally shot by police, according to Farmington police spokesperson Shanice Gonzales.

She said by telephone that the suspect had roamed about a quarter of a mile on foot firing on bystanders indiscriminately before the rampage came to an end outside the church where he was confronted by law enforcement. No motive was readily apparent, police said.

“At this point it appears to be purely random,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a video message posted on his department’s Facebook page, calling the incident “devastating.” Seemingly taking aim at “whatever entered his head to shoot at,” the suspect opened fire from at least three weapons, one of them an AR-15-style rifle, Hebbe said.

“At least six houses and three cars were shot in the course of the event.”

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Slow start
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Slow start

Despite high attendance, the NA managed to pass only a single money bill during this period.
Sindh lawlessness
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Sindh lawlessness

A recently released report describes the law and order situation in Karachi as “worryingly poor”.
Punjab budget
15 Jun, 2024

Punjab budget

PUNJAB’S budget for 2024-25 provides much fodder to those who believe that the increased provincial share from the...
Budget and politics
Updated 14 Jun, 2024

Budget and politics

PML-N, scared of taking bold steps lest it loses whatever little public support it has, has left its traditional support — traders — virtually untouched.
New talks?
14 Jun, 2024

New talks?

WILL this prove another false start, or may we expect a more sincere effort this time? Reference is made to the...
A non-starter
14 Jun, 2024

A non-starter

WHILE the UN Security Council had earlier this week adopted a US-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza...