Farmington, New Mexico – The shooter, who killed three and wounded six while loitering in his neighborhood in northwest New Mexico, was a local high school student, including a 97-year-old woman and her daughter. police said on Tuesday.

Investigators were trying to determine the motive for the attack in the Farmington neighborhood where Bo Wilson, 18, lived. A gunman opened fire on Monday killing Gwendolyn Schofield, her 73-year-old daughter Melody Ivy, and 79-year-old Shirley Voyta.

Witnesses and police said Mr Wilson roamed a neighborhood within a short drive of downtown Farmington, firing bullets and shooting him dead within minutes when police arrived. Two police officers were also among the injured.

“The amount of violence and brutality these people have faced is unacceptable to me,” said Deputy Police Chief Kyle Dowdy. “I don’t care what else is going on in your life, no matter how old you are. Killing three innocent elderly women who are completely unable to defend themselves is always a tragedy.” will be.”

Deputy Chief Barrick Crum said Wilson had been firing at vehicles indiscriminately, with some also hitting homes.

Dowdy said investigators did not believe Wilson knew who he shot.

“We haven’t found anything to make us believe that the suspect knew the victims,” ​​he said.

Police say Wilson legally purchased and used at least one gun in November, after he turned 18. He carried three firearms during the attack, including an assault weapon.

San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari said four officers fired a total of 16 shots at Wilson, including one who was wounded.

Mayor Nate Duckett announced Tuesday that the Farmington police and state troopers had been treated for wounds and released from the hospital.

Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a video statement Monday that authorities began receiving reports of gunshots at 10:57 a.m. and first officers arrived at 11:02 a.m. Three minutes later, the shooter was dead.

Joseph Robledo, a 32-year-old tree cutter, said he rushed home after learning his wife, Jolene, and their 1-year-old daughter had taken refuge in the laundry room when gunshots rang out. The bullet went through the window of my daughter’s house without hitting anyone.

Jolene Robredo had just finished breakfast and at first thought her car had backfired when she heard a “pop, pop, pop, pop” sound. She said she was about to walk out the back door when she heard a man yelling just outside. So she quietly closed the door and hid with her daughter between her washer and dryer.

“I mean, it was crazy. I called my husband and I heard gunshots through the phone,” she said. “He was panicking and I said, ‘Don’t hang up, don’t hang up!'”

Joseph Robredo said he jumped over a fence to get in through the back door. In front of him, he found an elderly woman on the street who had been injured while driving by. He said she appeared to have fallen out of her car and her car kept running without her.

“There was a woman lying on the road and I went outside to try and figure out what was going on,” said Robledo. He and others started first aid.

Neighbors directed police officers at the suspect.

“We said (to the police), ‘He’s over there.’ …The officers acted immediately,” Robledo said.

Robredo’s own family car was riddled with bullet holes.

“We’ve been working in the yard all week. Thank God there was no one in front of us outside,” he said. “Obviously, towards the elderly, he had no sympathy for them.”

Downtown Farmington, a short drive from the neighborhood, has undergone something of a transformation in recent years, with cafés and restaurants beside decades-old businesses trading Native American crafts from silver jewelry to woolen fabrics. A brewery is popping up.

Middle school teacher and resident Nick Eakins said it’s a great place to live, with a mix of houses, short-term apartments and a church.

“I never thought something like this could happen here, and suddenly it’s here in a small, small town,” Akins said.

Even on Tuesday, orange circles of spray paint were left on the ground where police gathered evidence. Authorities used metal detectors to search the bush in front of one of the churches along the street where the shooting occurred.

As Monday night approached, dozens of people gathered at Hills Church, a few miles from the attack site, to pray at the base of a tall metal cross. Senior Pastor Matt Mizell spoke of living in a “dark and broken world,” but said there was still hope for the crowd and asked God to give him strength.

Politicians also spoke out about the attack.

In a statement, Duckett said the shooting “we are in pain and disbelief”.

In a statement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said he was praying for the families of the victims and said, “This event serves as another reminder of what happened.” gun violence Destroying the lives of our state and nation every day. ”

In 2020, New Mexico enacted a red flag law that allows guns to be seized from anyone who poses a danger to others or themselves. Dowdy said his relatives had raised concerns about Wilson’s mental health during police interviews, but not enough information was available at this time to elaborate.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat who represents the region in Congress, said in a Facebook post, “Our beautiful Nuevo Mexico is not immune to mass shootings across the country. not,’ he said. single. Day. “

“I applaud the heroes who drove into dangerous places to stop the violence. I wish the injured a speedy recovery and the families of the deceased rest in peace,” he said.

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Mr. Lee reported from Santa Fe and Mr. Yamat from Las Vegas. Associated Press reporter Terry Tan of Phoenix contributed.