Three killed in latest US shooting

New Mexico City (AFP): An 18-year-old gunman killed three people and injured several others including two police officers during a shooting in a New Mexico city on Monday, law enforcement said.

Officers responding to multiple emergency calls found “a chaotic scene where a male subject was actively firing upon individuals,” local police deputy chief Baric Crum told a press conference.

Four officers confronted the subject and “were able to stop his actions,” Crum said.

“The suspect is deceased, but prior to that, we know that three civilians were killed by this person’s actions,” he said.

The shooting took place in Farmington, a town of 50,000 people located some 200 miles (320 km) from state capital Santa Fe, and close to Navajo and Ute Native American reservations.

Nine people were wounded, said Crum.

Further details of exactly where and how the shooting unfolded were not immediately provided. Investigations into the incidents are ongoing.

The two police officers shot during the incident are being treated at a hospital and were described as being in stable condition.

Local schools briefly locked down as a preventative measure, but were cleared to reopen early Monday afternoon, with Farmington Municipal Schools saying that “all students and staff are safe.”

At least 225 mass shootings have occurred this year in the United States, according to the non-governmental organization Gun Violence Archive.