A man has been captured by New Mexico State police after being on the run for one day following a fatal shooting in rural Colorado. The suspect, Hanme K. Clark, 45, allegedly shot three people and critically wounded a fourth over a long-standing property dispute involving the use of an easement on the suspect’s property. The shooting occurred on Monday afternoon on the property of one of the victims, just a week after a landowner requested that Clark be held in contempt of a court order. The order had allowed the landowner to cross Clark’s property to access their own land.
Easements, which are legal rights to cross someone else’s land, are often crucial in rural communities like this one. The victims have been identified as Rob Geers, Beth Wade, and James Daulton, while the fourth victim, Patty Daulton, is being treated at a trauma center. Custer County Sheriff Lloyd Rich Smith stated that all the victims were involved in property disputes with the suspect but were not mentioned in any previous lawsuits or court filings.
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Authorities had searched the surrounding area for Clark, using night vision equipment and drones, but believe he had already left before deputies responded to the shooting. Residents in a nearby county were told to shelter in place after Clark’s truck was spotted at a Walmart, but authorities now believe he has likely left the area.
This shooting is one of several mass shootings that have occurred in the past few days across the country. On Monday night, four people were wounded when a gunman opened fire in a Walmart in Ohio before apparently taking his own life. Additionally, a Tennessee man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a series of shootings that killed four of his female relatives.
The property dispute in Colorado highlights the potential for violence in contentious legal battles over land rights. As authorities continue their investigation, the community is left to grapple with the tragic consequences of a dispute that escalated into a deadly confrontation.
