New Delhi: Three people were killed and seven, including two police officers, were injured on Monday when an 18-year-old opened fire in Farmington, a northwestern community in New Mexico before the suspect was fatally shot by the police, Associated Press reported citing authorities.
The incident took place at approximately 11 am in Farmington, a city with a population of around 50,000 residents, situated close to the Utah state border. Farmington serves as an important hub for the region's oil and natural gas industry, acting as both a supply line and a residential area for industry workers.
Notably, the shooting in New Mexico is the third shooting incident in the US in the month of May after similar incidents in Florida and Las Vegas this month.
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, according to AP.
Police confronted the suspect before fatally shooting him.
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.
Mayor Nate Duckett said in a statement that both had been shot but their injuries were not life-threatening.
“Today, our community experienced a horrific tragedy that claimed the lives of three innocent citizens and injured several others,” Duckett said, adding that the shooting “has left us reeling in anguish and disbelief.”
Investigators will now have to look at a crime scene that spans several blocks, according to Crum.
“What we now need from our community is anybody that has any additional information, whether that be eyewitness information or video information or whatever it may be, if you feel it’s pertinent,” Crum said.
According to AP, last month Farmington police shot and killed a man at his front door after they went to the wrong address while responding to a domestic violence call.