Editorial: It's a time for New Mexicans to unify, recover and grieve

Senseless. Terrible. And oh so random.

It's tough to explain what took place in Farmington Monday, besides any town's worst nightmare.

" I don't even know what to say in an occasion like this," Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe stated Monday night. "How do you resolve it?"

There are numerous unanswered concerns about what would have an 18-year-old Farmington High School trainee to go on a rampage and randomly contend individuals and vehicles over a quarter-mile stretch of a generally quiet, middle-class community in the heart of Farmington.

The shooter had a full adult life ahead of him, as did the 21-year-old man who snuck into close-by Aztec High School on Dec. 7, 2017, and shot and killed two trainees prior to killing himself.

Monday's shooter armed himself with a minimum of three various weapons prior to fatally shooting three individuals and injuring 6 others, including 2 responding police officers, before he was stopped and eliminated by authorities.

The 3 people killed were all ladies over the age of 70. Two of those shot and killed were a mother-daughter in their 90s and 70s.

So senseless, so terrible, therefore random.

Farmington has had it rough recently. The rugged and remote northwestern New Mexico town made nationwide news just last month when Farmington authorities responded to a domestic disruption call at the wrong house and shot and killed house owner Robert Dodson as he opened his door around 11:30 p.m. with a handgun in his hand.

New Mexicans want responses, to in some way understand how a young man could turn his weapons on innocent victims. A thorough authorities investigation will hopefully yield some responses, however we'll most likely never ever totally comprehend how this took place.

" We are doing the very best that we can to ... look at the proof to see if we can figure out what the inspiration was," Hebbe said. "But at this moment, it appears to be purely random."

The whole state is mourning. Our hearts are heavy and our ideas and prayers are with the victims, some still in the hospital, and their households.

Now is also the time to advise ourselves how lucky we are to have law enforcement officers so brave and devoted that they run toward the gunfire, not away. They no doubt conserved many lives Monday because previously quiet community in Farmington.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is anonymous as it represents the viewpoint of the newspaper instead of the authors.