FARMINGTON, N.M. — Three people were killed and two police officers were among at least seven people injured Monday when an 18-year-old opened fire in a northwestern New Mexico community before law enforcement fatally shot the suspect, authorities said.
The shootings occurred around 11 a.m. in Farmington, a city of about 50,000 people near the Utah state line that is a supply line and bedroom community to the region’s oil and natural gas industry.
Officers responding to several calls about a shooting found “a chaotic scene” where a man was firing at people on a residential street, Farmington Police Deputy Chief Baric Crum said during a news conference.
Police confronted the suspect before fatally shooting him. They found three people dead.
Crum did not identify the suspect and said he didn’t know the ages of any of the victims. Police were trying to determine why he was in the neighborhood.
San Juan Regional Medical Center received seven injured people, including a Farmington police officer and a State Police officer. Roberta Rogers, a hospital spokesperson, would not comment on their status.
The two officers were in stable condition, according to Crum.
Mayor Nate Duckett said in a statement that both had been shot but their injuries were not life-threatening.