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Two Students and Suspect Dead in Shooting Near Navajo Nation in New Mexico

Samantha Gurule/KRQE

A shooting Thursday morning at a high school in a northwestern New Mexico has left three dead and several others wounded. It took place in a town bordering the vast Navajo Nation. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

New Mexico State Police have confirmed at least two students are among the dead, along with the suspect, in Aztec, New Mexico. Authorities haven’t released further information about the victims or the shooter.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies cleared the buildings at Aztec High and took students to another location. The shooting also prompted precautionary lock downs of other area schools. No word yet on a motive.

State and federal authorities are investigating. Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye called it a tragedy and offered his condolences. 

Ryan Heinsius joined KNAU's newsroom as an executive producer in 2013 and became news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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