By Roger Lanse
According to Silver City Police Department Chief Freddy Portillo, SCPD officers confirmed a female was shot in the leg by a male assailant, close to the Western New Mexico University campus, on Alabama Street near the intersection of Alabama and Gordon streets. The attack took place on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, at about 4 p.m. The male suspect has been identified but neither that information, nor the victim's name, is being released at this time. Portillo stated officers are actively searching for the male suspect. The victim was transported to Gila Regional Medical Center by EMS.
Portillo told the Beat, a rumor was going around that this was an active shooting, but he wished to stress this was not an active shooting, but an isolated violent incident.
An Aug. 20, 2024, news release from WNMU, stated a shelter-in-place warning was issued for the campus following the shooting, but after fully assessing the situation, WNMU President Joseph Shepard lifted the warning.