By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
Three people are dead, including two students and the suspected shooter, after a Thursday morning shooting at Aztec High School, in Aztec, New Mexico, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
“One suspect shooter is deceased. Two students are deceased. No other injuries reported. The school has been evacuated,” the Journal said, quoting the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Twitter feed. “The families of the victims were notified immediately. They are in our thoughts and prayers.”
According to San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen, sheriff’s deputies responded to the shooting around 9 a.m. The school was promptly locked down and evacuated.
Nearby Schools Also Put on Lockdown Due to Aztec Shooting
Nearby Bloomfield and Farmington schools were also put on lockdown, according to social media reports from police and the Farmington Municipal Schools.
The lockdown was later lifted, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
State Legislature Pays Tribute to Shooting Victims
At the Capitol in Santa Fe, members of the Legislative Finance Committee observed a moment of silence as word circulated of the school shooting. U.S. Representative Steve Pearce called the incident “tragic and senseless.”
Aztec is the county seat of San Juan County in northwest New Mexico in the Four Corners area. The Navajo Indian Reservation and the Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation occupy about 63 percent of the county.