Aztec High School shooting | |
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Location |
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Coordinates | 36°49′15″N 107°59′26″W / 36.82083°N 107.99056°WCoordinates: 36°49′15″N 107°59′26″W / 36.82083°N 107.99056°W |
Date | December 7, 2017 8:04 a.m. - 8:07 a.m. (UTC–7) |
Target | Students |
Attack type | School shooting, murder-suicide |
Weapons | 9mm Glock 19 Gen4 |
Deaths | 3 (including the perpetrator)[1] |
Perpetrator | William Atchison |
Motive | Encyclopedia Dramatica, School shooting obsession[2][3] |
On 7 December 2017, a gunman opened fire at Aztec High School in Aztec, New Mexico, United States. The shooter was identified as 21-year-old William Atchison, a former student at the school. He killed one student in a bathroom and a second student in a hallway. Afterwards he went inside a classroom, where students had barricaded themselves in a small office area, and fired several rounds before continuing on down the hall, where he finally committed suicide as police approached his location.
Shooting
William Atchison walked into Aztec High School disguised as a student, and was armed with a handgun. He opened fire in the upper level hallway of the 800-900 student occupied building. The school custodian, Thomas "Emery" Hill, chased after the gunman, shouting, "active shooter," "lock down!" Katie Potter, a 74-year-old substitute teacher, heard the gunshots and the following loudspeaker announcement calling for a lock-down. As a substitute teacher, Ms. Potter did not have keys to the classroom, so she ushered her 17 students into the classroom office, and barricaded the door with a couch. Atchison fired multiple rounds through the office wall, and then shot himself. San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christensen credited her swift action with saving many lives.[4]
Two students were confirmed dead, along with the shooter. State authorities confirmed that there were no other injuries reported.[5][6][7] Officials said that Aztec police received a call about the shooting about 8:00 a.m.
Students were in class at the time, and heard what they thought was someone punching the lockers. As the noise became louder, they realized it was gunfire.[8] Teachers and students hid in locked classrooms, until they were told by officials to walk out of the room toward the back of the building and the parking lot; they were later picked up by their parents at McGee Park.[8]
Victims
Casey Jordan Marquez, aged 17, a senior, and Francisco "Paco" Fernandez, also aged 17, a junior, were identified as the victims.[9] Both were student-athletes at Aztec High School. Marquez was a cheerleader, and Fernandez, a recent transfer to the school, was a football player.[10]
Perpetrator
William Edward Atchison (March 18, 1996 – December 7, 2017) lived in Aztec, New Mexico with his father, Wayne Atchison, and was a former student at Aztec High School.[11] He dropped out of high school before graduation, and worked at a local gas station. When Atchison entered Aztec High School on December 7, 2017, at approximately 8:00 a.m., he was "disguised as a student" and carrying a backpack with a 9mm Glock 19 Gen4 semi-automatic pistol inside.[12] Atchison had no criminal record; however, he was investigated by the FBI in March 2016, due to posts he had made online indicating that he was interested in purchasing weapons to carry out a mass shooting. He came to the attention of the FBI when he asked on an internet forum "where to find cheap assault rifles for a mass shooting." Atchison told FBI investigators that he was simply 'trolling', and the investigation was closed, when it was determined that he did not own a gun.[13] Atchison subsequently purchased the pistol used in the attack in November 2017.[14][15]
Atchison's online activity included posting on pro-Hitler forums and websites, under such usernames as "Future Mass Shooter" and "Adam Lanza," and joking about school shootings, in particular the Columbine High School massacre. He also posted on "The Columbine High School Massacre Discussion Forum", under the user names, "FIBAgent", and "Seung Hui-cho". Via a Steam chat group, he was in contact with the perpetrator of the 2016 Munich shooting.[16][17] He also posted about his frustration with life in rural New Mexico and bleak career prospects.[18][19][20] Atchison called his father a "fat lazy idiot who watches Fox News all day" and his mother "a psycho hillbilly drunk from Florida who's really mentally ill."[20]
A schedule for the killings was found at Atchison's home, with the last entry being "8[a.m.] Die." A thumb drive discovered on his person contained the same schedule.
He had drawn several neo-Nazi symbols and writings on his body, visible in the coroner's reports and autopsy. The symbols included a swastika, SS runes, and the acronym "AMOG" on his upper thigh. Along with the phrase "BUILD WALL" above his left knee, and "your home" on the right of his groin.[21]
See also
- Gun violence in the United States
- List of rampage killers in the United States
- List of school shootings in the United States
- List of school-related attacks
References
- ^ "New Mexico High School Shooting: 3 Dead, Including Suspect". People. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Here Is The Terrifying Thing This School Shooter Was Involved In Online". ViralNova. October 15, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Collins, Brandy Zadrozny,Ben (December 15, 2017). "New Mexico School Shooter Had Secret Life on Pro-Trump White-Supremacy Sites". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ Inside Edition Staff (December 9, 2017). "Substitute teacher and custodian hailed heroes after New Mexico school shooting". AOL.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Two students killed in Aztec High School shooting in New Mexico". NBC News. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "What we know about the deadly Aztec High School shooting". KOAT-TV. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Aztec High School shooting: 2 students killed, shooter dead, police say". CNN. December 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Aztec High School shooting: 2 slain students identified". CNN. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ^ "Authorities identify two victims in shooting at Aztec High School". The Durango Herald. December 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ "Both victims were student-athletes at Aztec High". KOB. December 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^ "Who Is William Atchison? New Mexico Police Identify Aztec High School Shooter". International Business Times. December 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ Grover, Hannah (December 8, 2017). "Investigators: Aztec High School shooter had timeline, deadly plans". Farmington Daily Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ Contreras, Russell (December 8, 2017). "New Mexico school shooter left note plotting attack, suicide". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Investigators: New Mexico high school shooter had timeline, deadly plans". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ Levenson, Eric; Diaz-Zuniga, Laura. "NM high school shooter was investigated by FBI in 2016". CNN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Ermittlungsfehler nach dem Anschlag in München". ARD. May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ "Aztec school shooter reached out to other school shooters, planned killings online". Farmington Daily Times. April 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ Dupuy, Beatrice (December 15, 2017). "White Man Behind School Shooting Was Obsessed With Trump and Hitler". Newsweek. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ Preza, Elizabeth (December 15, 2017). "New Mexico school shooter was radicalized on white supremacist pro-Trump websites". Raw Story. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Zadrozny, Brandy; Collins, Ben (December 15, 2017). "New Mexico School Shooter Had Secret Life on Pro-Trump White-Supremacy Sites". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/2-21-18-william_atchison_autopsy_no.2017-06753_dirt_002.pdf[bare URL PDF]