At least 4 dead, including suspect, after New Mexico shooting: police

FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – At least four people are dead, including the suspect, and multiple others are injured after a shooting in northwestern New Mexico Monday, according to the Farmington Police Department.

The shootings occurred at around 11 a.m. in Farmington, a city of about 50,000 people that serves as a modern-day trading post to the adjacent Navajo Nation reservation and is a supply line and bedroom community to the region’s oil and natural gas industry.

“There are multiple civilian victims,” Farmington police said in a Facebook post, adding that the suspect “was confronted and killed on scene.”

“The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” the police message said, adding that city, San Juan County and state police were involved.

The two officers who were shot, a Farmington police officer and a New Mexico State Police officer, are currently at the San Juan Regional Medical Center being treated for their injuries. They are both in stable condition.

Police have not identified those who were killed or wounded.

Federal agents from Phoenix were headed to Farmington, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said via Twitter Monday.

Video from the scene, captured by Nexstar's KRQE, shows multiple agencies investigating the scene. A car can also be seen on a sidewalk but it's unclear what caused it to leave the roadway.

Middle school teacher Nick Akins, whose home is on a street that police locked down, described the neighborhood as a mostly great place to live, with a mix of homes, short-term rental apartments and churches.

“It’s not like the roughest area in town, but it can be,” he said. “We have great neighbors and rentals, people who come and go. We don’t always know everyone.”

Seeing Farmington in the national spotlight for yet another mass shooting, particularly one that occurred on his street, was surreal for him.

“You never think it’s going to happen here and all of a sudden, in a tiny little town it comes here,” Akins said.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that she was "receiving frequent updates" on the situation and has "directed the state to provide whatever support the city and county need as they conduct a thorough investigation and as the community begins to heal."

"I am praying for the families of the victims, the wounded and the entire community of Farmington following this horrific tragedy," she added. "Although details continue to emerge about this incident, this serves as yet another reminder of how gun violence destroys lives in our state and our country every single day. This administration will not stop fighting the epidemic of gun violence from every angle possible.” 

Farmington is not far from where New Mexico borders Colorado, Utah and Arizona. In recent years, cafes and breweries have cropped up downtown alongside decades-old businesses that trade in Native American crafts from silver jewelry to wool weavings. Traveling Broadway shows make regular stops at the expansive community center auditorium, while rural lots on the outskirts are littered with disassembled oilfield equipment.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.