ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Hundreds of frantic calls were sent to dispatchers about a barrage of gunfire and bloodied victims along a busy street during this month’s fatal shooting in Farmington, prompting the authorities rushing into the chaotic scene not knowing what awaited them.
Out of breath, guns in hand, officers rushed towards the shooter. More shots rang out and an officer shouted, “Subject down! Cease fire, cease fire! Another officer who had been shot in the leg was placed in a patrol car and taken to a nearby hospital.
The next few minutes were a scramble as authorities searched the neighborhood for a possible second shooter, while other officers regrouped to determine how far the crime scene stretched and what vehicles had were hit by gunfire.
Hours of police body and dash cam videos released Friday, along with hundreds of dispatch recordings, paint a stark picture of the May 15 shooting that rocked the community in northwestern New Mexico. Three women were killed and six others were injured – all at the hands of an 18-year-old lone gunman who was killed by officers.
The 911 calls reflect the growing chaos as residents called for the location of bullet-riddled vehicles, including an abandoned car with an open door and a shattered windshield. Others helped a woman hit by shards of glass inside her car.
“A lady is in the car. And it looks like there was a bullet that went through the windshield and it’s bleeding badly,” a caller told an emergency dispatcher.
As officers gathered on a street corner, they tried to make sense of what they were hearing from dispatchers and witnesses and to provide updates on their colleagues and the victims who had been taken to hospital. One of them asked if it was a traffic stop that had gone wrong.
“No, just gunshots,” replied Detective Christopher Stanton. “People started calling, ‘Hey, we’re getting multiple shots here – 30, 40 shots, and then they just started pouring in.
He spoke of a woman who would be the first victim. A bullet went through her windshield as she drove down a street lined with houses and churches. Shrapnel flew and there were more gunshots, and she took a side street not knowing where it was coming from.
Meanwhile, dispatchers juggled 911 calls in rapid succession, cajoling the details of shaken callers with shaky voices.
“There’s a lady here, she’s bleeding right now,” a caller told a dispatcher, who provided first aid instructions.
Another call came from inside a house: “We heard screaming and crying,” the woman said.
In another 911 audio recording, titled “Suspects Mother,” a woman said her son was suffering from depression and feared he was involved in the shooting. The identity of the woman could not immediately be confirmed.
“I’m just worried. I have a son who has been very, very depressed and I’m driving and was wondering if you could give me some information. You know, he could be very good. He was just really depressed and I was really worried.
Authorities said the shooter, 18-year-old Beau Wilson, fired more than 190 bullets during the rampage, most from the home he shared with his father.
Video released Friday showed officers entering the suspect’s home to clear it, guns drawn, shouting, “Farmington Police!
Family photos lined a wall near the front door, with a framed cross in the middle. Used bullet casings littered the porch, where authorities said the shooter went outside that morning and began firing indiscriminately at passing vehicles.
Farmington residents Gwendolyn Dean Schofield, 97, her 73-year-old daughter, Melody Ivie, and Shirley Voita, 79, were killed, police said.
The audio recordings included an anguished call from a daughter of Ivie after she learned in Salt Lake City that her mother and grandmother had been killed.
“They were shot this morning, maybe picking up my nephew from school, and I don’t know if there’s anything you can tell me,” Julianne Hamblin said.
Audio conversations also indicated the extent of the police response, including the coordination of a plane to possibly bring in more officers. Some off-duty officers were called in and others cut short across town to rush to the scene.
“There’s a guy walking around with black pants, a black shirt and a gun, and he shoots randomly. … He’s going down Dustin (Avenue),” a woman said in another 911 call.
“Can you see what kind of weapon it is?” asked the dispatcher.
The shooter had a rifle and two handguns, authorities later confirmed.
The videos showed officers surveying the neighborhood, talking to residents and asking if they were okay. Others put up crime scene tape and marked the location of evidence.
Two officers were stationed near the shooter’s body to ensure the scene was not disturbed. One looked stunned at how young the suspect was, saying he appeared to be the same age as his son.
“Crazy,” he said. “Mad.”
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Associated Press reporters Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and Rio Yamat and Ty O’Neil in Las Vegas, Nevada, contributed to this report.
