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SANTA FE (USA), May 18 (AP) – A high school student killed three women in indiscriminate gunfire in northwest New Mexico and left behind a picture that heralded “the end of the chapter”. ’ and wearing a bulletproof vest he had discarded earlier, was shot dead by police, authorities said Wednesday.
Police added new details to the gunman’s profile and the weapon he used as he walked through a residential complex before confronting officers outside a church and being shot dead. According to authorities, the gunman fired more than 190 rounds during the rampage, most of them from the home he shared with his father.
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Beau Wilson, 18, was wearing what appeared to be a modified vest with steel plates and the note was in his pocket, Farmington Police Chief Steve Herbie said at a news conference. found. The message, handwritten in green font, read in part: “If you read this chapter, this chapter is over.”
Police said Wilson began firing an AR-15 rifle in the front porch area outside his home, but quickly threw it into some bushes, though it still contained more live ammunition.
The gunman continued to fire with both pistols, discarding a .22 caliber gun and then expending a 9mm pistol in a final shootout with police, during which time he fired at least 18 rounds.
Those killed by the gunman were longtime Farmington resident Gwendolyn Schofield, 97, her daughter Melody Ivie, 73, and Shirley Voita, 79, police said.
These women became well known in the community, in part through participation in faith-based groups. Ivie has run a preschool for forty years, and generations of residents have attended the school.
Those injured in the attack included Farmington Sheriff Rachel Discenza and New Mexico State Trooper Andreas Stamatiadas. The officials were treated at a local hospital and released.
Police are investigating Wilson’s access to the weapons as well as concerns about his pre-existing mental health conditions, and are working to subpoena medical and school records that might reveal any problems.
“We’ve been talking to the family and trying to do more investigations into his mental health, which seemed to be a factor early on,” Herbie said.
In the meantime, Herbie said, “there seemed to be no clear indication that … what was going to happen that day.”
New Mexico enacted a so-called red flag law in 2020 that can be used to confiscate guns from people who pose a danger to themselves or others. Judicial records show the Farmington Police Department has successfully applied for gun seizures in other cases, most recently in February.
Wilson legally purchased the assault weapon used on Monday in November after turning 18, according to police. They believe two of the three weapons he was carrying belonged to relatives.
Wilson purchased additional magazines two days before the attack, police said.
He appeared to fire indiscriminately at the vehicles, hitting 11 of them and seven homes, authorities said.
More weapons and ammunition were found at the home Wilson shared with his father, but Herbie said he did not appear to have sorted them out before leaving the home. At the time of the attack, the suspect had access to more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition and 10 other weapons.
“He planned to use the three weapons he had,” Herbie said, “and then he went outside, which he did.”
Police said there was evidence Wilson fired at least 176 rounds from an assault rifle near his home at the start of the rampage.
Wilson, a senior at Farmington High, was due to graduate the next day.
At the school’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday, the speaker spoke about resilience and hope.
One chair was vacant with a bouquet of white roses “in honor of those we have lost over the years,” said school district spokesman Roberto Taboada. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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