In Deadly New Mexico High School Shooting, Gunman Disguised Himself as a Student
AZTEC, N.M. (AP) — A 21-year-old gunman who disguised
himself as a student to get into a New Mexico high school where he killed two
students had caught the attention of U.S. investigators more than a year ago,
authorities said Friday.
William Atchison, a former student at small-town Aztec High
School, had legally purchased a handgun at a local store a month ago and
planned the attack, authorities said. He left a message on a thumb drive found
on his body that detailed his plan to wait until the students got off buses and
made their way to class.
He walked into the school with them and went into a
second-floor bathroom to "gear up." Atchison's plan was to shoot up a
classroom and then kill himself.
"Work sucks, school sucks, life sucks. I just want out
of this (expletive)," he wrote.
More lives could have been lost had Francisco I. Fernandez
not walked into the bathroom, authorities said. That's when the gunman shot
Fernandez. Atchison walked out into the hallway and encountered the second
victim, Casey J. Marquez, and killed her.
The gunman then walked up and down the hall, firing
randomly, before killing himself, authorities said.
"This is an act of cowardice," San Juan County
Sheriff Ken Christesen said.
Authorities said the shooter did not have a criminal record,
much less a traffic ticket. The only contact with law enforcement was what they
described as a generic message on an online gaming forum in 2016 in which he
talked about what weapon...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Russell Contreras, Associated Press Tags: Major Incidents News Source Type: news
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