Four dead in shootings in Taos, Rio Arriba counties
Four people were killed and one critically injured in what authorities believe was a oneman shooting spree Thursday across Taos and Rio Arriba counties.
Rio Arriba County sheriff ’s deputies arrested Damian Herrera, 21, of Taos in connection with the shootings around 9 p.m. near the junction of U.S. 84 and N.M. 284.
Authorities said Herrera is believed to have acted alone in the shootings, and there didn’t immediately appear to be any links between the victims. No motive was released.
Earlier Thursday evening, state police issued a warning that Rio Arriba deputies had been searching for Herrera “for an ongoing violent incident” and that he was armed and dangerous. An alert had been put out about the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado pickup that he was driving.
“We’re dealing with multiple scenes involving homicides,” Lt. Elizabeth Armijo, a public information officer for the New Mexico State Police, told The Taos News.
The first shootings took place in Vallecitos, a small community north of Ojo Caliente, where three people were killed, authorities said. The shooter then went to nearby Tres Piedras and killed another person. The final shooting victim, in the village of Abiquiú, remains in critical condition after suffering at least one gunshot wound.
Police said the victims appear to be unrelated. “Right now, we have no information about the deceased or whether they were in any way connected,” Armijo told The Taos News.
She said state police crime scene and investigative teams were sent to the three shooting locations.
“This situation is evolving, and more information will be disseminated when it becomes available,” Armijo said in a news release.