Colorado manhunt underway after 3 people killed in shooting over property lines
A manhunt was underway in Colorado Tuesday morning for a gunman who shot and killed three people after an apparent argument over property lines escalated into deadly violence.
The shooter opened fire on a group of five people around 1 p.m. Monday in a wooded area along Rocky Ridge Road, some 50 miles southeast of Colorado Springs. Two men and a woman were fatally struck, Custer County Sheriff Lloyd “Rich” Smith told reporters during an evening news conference. Another victim, also a woman, suffered multiple gunshots to the chest and was airlifted to an area hospital in critical condition .She is expected to survive, Smith said.
Their names have not been released.
A fifth person who was with them at the time, identified by KMGH-TV as a surveyor, managed to escape unharmed.
Authorities have since identified the suspect as Hanme Clark. He is believed to be traveling in a “White [Dodge] Ram 1500 pickup with a topper, Colorado license plate: BHLK27,” according to police.
“The suspect and at least one of the victims have been in previous civil disputes about property lines,” Smith said, without providing further details.
The gunfire on Monday triggered an hours-long shelter-place-order for residents across Custer County — a rural part of the state with a little more than 5,000 residents — as officers combed the area in search of the suspect. A SWAT team also responded to aid in the efforts.
The order was lifted shortly after 8 p.m. despite the shooter remaining at large.
“We have a very good lead on almost exactly where the suspect and the vehicle are, and we’re working with another law enforcement agency to take him into custody,” Smith said Monday night.
