At least three dead, more wounded in New Mexico shooting, police say

Three people are dead and multiple others wounded after a shooting in Farmington, New Mexico. Photo / AP

At least three people were dead and multiple others wounded Monday after a shooting in Farmington, New Mexico, police said, and schools citywide were put on lockdown.

“There are multiple civilian victims,” Farmington police reported via Facebook, adding that one suspect “was confronted and killed on the scene”.

Two officers were shot including a member of the city police and one with the New Mexico State Police, the message said. Both were reported to be in stable condition at San Juan Regional Medical Center.

“The suspect’s identity is unknown and there are no other known threats at this time,” police said, adding that city, San Juan County and state police were involved.

The shooting was reported shortly after 11am in the area of Brookside Park, and all city schools were placed on what officials called “preventative lockdown.” Three nearby schools remained on emergency lockdown.

An official at the San Juan County sheriff’s office, Megan Mitchell, called the incident “an open and active ongoing investigation.” Mitchell said she did not immediately have more information.

Federal agents from Phoenix were headed to Farmington, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said via Twitter.

Farmington is a city of nearly 50,000 residents in northwestern New Mexico, near the Four Corners region. It serves as a modern-day trading post to the adjacent Navajo Nation and is a supply line and bedroom community to the region’s oil and natural gas industry.

In recent years, cafes and breweries have cropped up downtown alongside decades-old businesses that trade in Native American crafts from silver jewellery to wool weavings. Travelling Broadway shows make regular stops at the expansive community centre auditorium, while rural lots on the outskirts are littered with disassembled oilfield equipment.