WESTCLIFFE, CO – A manhunt is underway in Colorado for a suspect believed to have shot four individuals, leaving three dead and one critically injured, in what authorities have described as a protracted property boundary disagreement.
Law enforcement officials have named the alleged shooter as 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark. Residents have been urged to keep an eye out for his vehicle, a white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck with a cover and license plate BHLK27. Clark is described as a 6’3″, 200-pound man who may be traveling with a brunette woman.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith shared with local news that they have a strong lead on the suspect’s whereabouts and are collaborating with another law enforcement agency to apprehend him.
The incident unfolded around 1 p.m. on Monday when the Custer County Sheriff’s Department was alerted to a shooting on Rocky Ridge Road, a secluded area roughly eight miles northeast of Westcliffe and 75 miles southeast of Colorado Springs. The remote location meant that the first SWAT team member arrived about 25 minutes later.
Upon reaching the scene, officers discovered two men and a woman deceased from gunshot wounds. A fourth victim, a critically injured woman, was airlifted to a hospital in Colorado Springs where she is expected to recover.
Sheriff Smith expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, noting that such incidents are rare in their community.
The investigation revealed that Clark and one of the deceased had been embroiled in a longstanding dispute over property lines.
As the search for Clark continues, a shelter-in-place order has been issued in the Salida area. The local school district has suspended bus services within the affected area.