Three people dead after land dispute in Southern Colorado
TRAGEDY IN COLORADO: Three people were killed and one injured in a shooting that erupted over a land dispute in rural Colorado on Monday. The suspect, 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark, remains at large.
According to authorities, the Custer County Sheriff's Department received a call reporting gunshots fired in a wooded area around 1 p.m. Deputies quickly responded, and a SWAT team was dispatched to the scene.
“Custer County Sheriff, Rich Smith, called for a shelter in place while they were searched for the suspect,” officials said. Sadly, by the end of the night, two men and one woman were found dead at the scene. The fourth victim, a woman, was critically injured and taken to a hospital. She is expected to survive.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted at about 8 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect, 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark (Custer County Sheriff's Department)
Clark, who is believed to be driving a white Dodge truck with license plate BHLK27, has a history of disputes over property lines and easements with at least one of the victims. According to the sheriff's department, the shooting began as a result of a suspected property dispute.
Custer County, a small mountainous area in southern Colorado, is home to about 4,700 people. The community is left shaken by this act of violence that occurred in their peaceful town.
A dispute over property on Rocky Ridge Road may have led to a shooting along a “property line in the wooded area,” according to a release by the Custer County Government Public Information Office.
This tragic incident adds to the rising number of gun violence cases in the country, which have become alarmingly high during the pandemic.
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The search for Clark continues, and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward. In the meantime, residents are advised to report any sightings of the suspect or his vehicle.
To sign up for alerts, visit the Custer and Fremont County Everbridge Website.