During a press conference on Wednesday, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said that the 18-year-old who k!lled three elderly women on their morning drives in the neighborhood this week had f!red more than 100 rounds from his yard before fleeing the property with two p!stols and a bulletproof vest.
Beau Adam Wilson sh*t and k!lled Gwendolyn Schofield, 98, her 73-year-old daughter Melody Ivie, and 79-year-old Shirley Voita on Monday. People are often targeted while going about their daily lives, such as when they are grocery shopping, going to school, or going to work this incident is one of 226 mass sh*otings this year in the United States, with four or more victims shot.
Seven more persons were hurt, and their injuries were attended to on the spot. The motive for this latest gun m@ssacre in America remains unknown, despite the continued efforts of investigators. Authorities are trying to “piece together” the significance of a tiny scribbled message found in the gunman’s pocket, according to Hebbe.
Deputy Chief Kyle Dowdy said during a press conference on Tuesday that several of Wilson’s family who were interviewed had indicated worries about his mental health, however it was unclear whether he had been diagnosed with any issues. According to the deputy chief, Wilson had only “minor infractions” with the police before to the savage attack.
Hebbe told reporters on Wednesday that he believes mental health concerns played a role in the shootings. “We’ll end up finding in the next couple of days what medication if any he was under, if he was under a doctor’s care in some form or fashion,” Hebbe said.
The chief said the sh*oting began on Monday morning when the suspect was standing outside his home and firing an AR-15-style rifle at passing motorists. Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Burns of San Juan County said the suspect sh*t at least 141 rounds from his property, all of which were.223.
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Hebbe claimed the assailant left a semiautomatic firearm in the bushes near his home, with a round in the chamber and more rounds in the magazine. The chief stated that the gunman left the residence armed with two pistols (a.22 and a 9 mm), and began firing at random as he headed toward a church.
Hebbe claims that there were an additional ten firearms left in the home. “The last two (guns) the suspect took with him as he began walking and he was firing around the neighborhood, and firing at other cars and houses,” the chief said.
The following tweet provides confirmation of the news:
New Mexico gunman who killed 3 fired more than 100 rounds and was found with note in pocket, police sayhttps://t.co/Cw0zay9Onm
— 🌻A Venable🌻💙💙💙 (@a_venable) May 18, 2023
Hebbe claims the sho*ter “made his last stand” inside the church with a bulletproof vest on, but that the shooter had taken it off by the time the doorbell camera footage was taken. When the de@d sh*oter’s 9 mm weapon was discovered, Hebbe added, it was empty.
The area is a commercial hub at the Four Corners in the Southwest, and as gunfire echoed across the area, more than 200 calls to 911 were made to authorities. Two of the weapons used in the sh*oting were reportedly owned by Wilson’s relatives, while the teen himself bought the third we@pon in November after turning 18.
Two days before the sh*oting, the suspect bought three magazines for his firearm, the chief added.
“We’re certainly looking at the circumstances by which he procured the AR-15 and some of the other weapons, and part of the investigation will take us into what were the circumstances by which the other weapons had been obtained,” the chief said when asked whether family members could face charges, “but no, at this point in time, we’re not holding anybody responsible.”
According to the chief, there were ten firearms and 1,400 rounds of ammunition left inside the home for the sh*oter to use.
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