Teen identified as suspect who opened fire on multiple homes in New Mexico

A high school student has been identified as the gunman who opened fire on multiple homes in New Mexico, killing people and injuring six others.

Authorities say 18-year-old Beau Wilson, a student at Farmington High School, was carrying multiple firearms, including an assault rifle, when he began shooting Monday morning. The varsity wrestler was scheduled to graduate the following day.

In his rampage, Farmington police said, he was able to kill Shirley Voita, Melanie Ivie and Gwendolyn Schofield before four officers returned a total of 16 shots at him.

At least one of these bullets struck and killed the suspect in a moment captured on camera, authorities announced at a press conference on Tuesday. He was seen wandering around a graveyard all in black before falling to the ground.

The victims were all over the age of 70, Farmington police said at a news conference, including a mother in her 90s and her 70-year-old daughter.

A motive for the shooting is still unclear, but police say the suspect had a history of mental health problems.

Authorities say Wilson told a friend years ago that he was hearing voices and they “kept getting me.”

He legally purchased one of three firearms used in the November shooting, but police believe the other two belonged to a relative. It is not clear how he obtained the weapon.

The teen attacked at least six different homes in the neighborhood he grew up in.

In a video message Monday, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said the suspect had “roamed” the neighborhood before randomly spraying bullets at cars in homes during the attack.

A witness told a local outlet that he saw the gunman fire more than 100 rounds within the first 20 minutes of the attack.

Six people were also injured in the shooting, including a Farmington police officer and a New Mexico state police officer, who have not been named.

Both were taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center and treated for their injuries, but are said to be in stable condition.

A friend told the Albuquerque Journal how he was sleeping at his family’s home on North Dustin Road when he heard gunshots Monday morning.

The 16-year-old said he sent his friend a Snapchat message letting him know what was going on in their neighborhood, assuming he was at school.

But later he saw a TikTok video of that friend being shot by police officers nearby.

“I knew he was going to do something bad, but I didn’t think it would be anything like this,” the teen said.

Still, he said, he knew his older friend was “different,” and recounted how he woke up at a Halloween sleepover to hear Wilson talking to people who weren’t there.

“I was really confused,” said the unnamed teen. “I was like, ‘Are you okay?’ He was like “Yeah.” He said, “These voices keep hitting me.”‘

The teen also said he knew Wilson was protective of those he liked, but found it difficult to meet new people.

“What he did was wrong,” the teen said. “But everyone is going to see him as the Farmington mass shooter, and I’m going to see him as Beau.”

Farmington is a medium-sized city about 150 miles northwest of Albuquerque and about 10 miles south of New Mexico’s border with Colorado.

A person claiming to work at the San Juan Regional Medical Center described on Facebook the moment an injured officer arrived at the facility.

“I know, we saw the first police cars come in and one of them pulled a cop from the backseat and dragged them in,” they wrote.

“The entrance to the ambulance is right by my window. There were many ambulances coming and going. Several EMS employees hug and cry. Entire hospital locked. Made me very sad,” they added.

Hank Shirley, who lives a block away from the shooting scene, said he was watching TV at home when he heard a series of gunshots that he described as a prolonged gunfight.

“When I heard that, I told my daughter to go down to the basement and have the baby in the basement,” Shirley told the Daily Times.

Minutes after the gunfire ceased, he said he heard sirens and saw emergency vehicles approaching.

Chief Hebbe said that “the suspect roamed the neighborhood for up to a quarter of a mile during the course of the event.”

Law enforcement continues to investigate a motive.

Kyle Watchman told The Journal that he was at his home on Dustin Avenue – where the police were first called – when he heard gunshots.

“I came out of my house wondering what was going on and I see the man casually walking down the street, shooting at cars, holding a gun with an extended clip in his hand.” he said. “I don’t know if he was just hunting.”

Kandi Brammell, who lives next door to the church where the gunman’s body was found, said she too heard gunshots just before 11am.

“At first we just heard one and thought it might be fireworks, but as they got closer we knew it wasn’t fireworks,” she said.

Brammell added that she and a friend left her home and saw a man in black walking across the graveyard screaming. She then saw him “come down the street and shoot an automatic long rifle randomly across the street.”

Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett issued a statement Monday night expressing his grief at the “horrific tragedy that killed three innocent civilians and injured several others.”

The “act of violence has left us reeling in fear and disbelief,” he said.