A note found in the pocket of Farmington’s mass shooter led police to believe Beau Wilson, 18, planned for “this being his final event,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said during a news conference Wednesday.
Wilson reportedly wrote, “If anyone messes with his sister there will be problems,” Hebbe said, adding police were “trying to find out if there was an issue with his sister.”
However, police have been unable to find anyone with information about the relationship between Wilson, a Farmington High School student, and his sister, Hebbe said, adding “It is a red flag that maybe he was planning something.”
There is no exact motive into the May 15 shooting, during which Wilson shot and killed three people and injured six others – five of whom were “struck by gunfire,” San Juan County Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Burns said. Seven houses and 11 vehicles were also hit with bullets.
The mass shooting, which started at 10:56 a.m., covered a ¼ mile area with 230 calls to dispatch from a 20-block area. Police believe Wilson started firing an “AR-15 rifle” from his North Dustin-area home, and he was home alone. He then abandoned the rifle in a bush and began walking and firing a .22-caliber handgun, Hebbe said.
“He’s also wearing a bulletproof vest similar to what the police would wear,” Hebbe said. “It has the soft armor in it. We think it might be homemade. It has steel plates in it as well.”
The vest and the .22 were found discarded, and Wilson began using a 9 mm handgun. “That’s what he was using in the final stand with officers,” Hebbe said.
Wilson shot Farmington Police Sgt. Rachel Discenza. She was hit with a bullet in her pelvic region. She was treated and released at San Juan Regional Medical Center and is recovering from the injury. Hebbe said the gunman was shot simultaneously by police and died from the injury.
The entire incident lasted until 11:06 a.m., and in that time, three women were struck with bullets. Melody Ivie, 73, and Gwendolyn Schofield, 97, died at the scene, while Shirley Voita, 79, was shot and taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center, where she died.
New Mexico State Police Officer Andreas Statmatiadas was shot in his vehicle while driving by the scene. He drove himself to the hospital, where he was treated.
Statmatiadas was on his way to assist as were other police agencies and first responders. The response of Farmington Fire and Emergency Medical Services “was just outstanding,” Hebbe said, adding since that day, the investigation has continued to evolve.
Police discovered Wilson purchased three magazines for the AR-15 two days before the shooting, and they found 10 firearms and 1,400 rounds of ammunition in the home Wilson shared with his father, whose name has not been released by authorities.
Wilson used three firearms in the shooting, and two of still had rounds in them. “The AR-15 had a round in the chamber, and he had a magazine with rounds in it,” Hebbe said, adding the .22-caliber pistol had a round with ammunition in it. Wilson did not have any ammunition in his pockets.
“He had three weapons in this event and 10 more available to him,” Hebbe said, pointing out that “it isn’t illegal for people to own weapons.”
Despite this, the family has told police they believed Wilson suffered from mental illness.
“He was struggling with mental health issues,” Hebbe said, adding an in-depth investigation into Wilson’s mental health will be done, as police plan to subpoena his school records and find out if he was under doctor’s care and perhaps on medication.
Police plan to provide daily updates on the shooting incident to provide updates on the investigation.
