School shooter disguised himself, killed randomly

AZTEC, N.M. — 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 Aztec High School, had 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 school with them and went into a second-floor bathroom to “gear up.”

“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. The gunman shot Fernandez, then walked out into the hallway and encountered Casey J. Marquez. He immediately killed her.

Atchison then walked up and down the hall, firing randomly, before killing himself, authorities said.

The shooter did not have a criminal record, not even a traffic ticket, officials said. 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 weapons might be used in a mass shooting.

The FBI said the posting was flagged and investigators talked with the gunman at his home in Aztec, where he lived with his parents.

In one bright spot, authorities said heroes at the school helped save lives.

A substitute teacher heard the gunshots but didn’t have a key to lock the door to the computer lab. So she took students into an office or storage area and barricaded the door with a couch.

Atchison came to the room and yelled that he knew they were in there and fired multiple shots into the room, authorities said.

A custodian also heard the gunshots and yelled for teachers to lock their doors.

Investigators were still combing over evidence at the school Friday, trying to determine how many shots were fired. The gunman had several magazines and reloaded multiple times, Kassetas said.