Gazette

Custer County shooting victims' names released, suspect last seen at a Walmart

S.Wright3 months ago

The names of the four victims in Monday's multiple shooting incident in Custer County have been released.

According to the Custer County coroner, the three deceased victims are Rob Geers, Beth Wade and James Daulton. A fourth victim, Patty Daulton, is still being treated at trauma center, according to the Custer County Sheriff's Department.

The suspect remains at large following the fatal shooting, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday.

The suspect in the incident has been identified as 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark.

Clark was last seen on video surveillance entering a Walmart parking lot following the shooting, purchasing "numerous items," before fleeing the area driving a white Ram 1500 pickup with a topper with the Colorado license plate BHLK27, the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said.

Residents of the wooded, rural area were told to shelter in place for five hours on Monday as authorities hunted for the man, but the order was lifted Monday night.

The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post early Tuesday that it is searching for the man and residents should shelter in place in the southeastern part of the county, about 40 miles northwest of where the shooting occurred. The affected area is south of U.S. Route 50 from the Freemont County line to Poncha Springs.

Local law enforcement agencies including those of CCSO, Salida Police Department, Buena Vista Police department conducted an overnight search utilizing two drones that carried into the morning, with helicopter support from the Denver Police Department arriving to assist Tuesday.

"An air search of the entire shelter in place area was conducted and the suspect vehicle nor the suspect were located," CCSO officials said,

"After several hours of combing the area the search was concluded and the shelter in place order was canceled."

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Chaffee County Sheriff Rich Smith spoke Tuesday afternoon, visibly shaken and teary eyed.

According to Smith, Clark's vehicle was discovered abandoned as a result of the search.

Both the U.S. Marshall Service and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations have joined search efforts. Officials say they've received a number of tips regarding Clark's whereabouts and have a strong idea of where he is headed.

An arrest warrant has been obtained by the Custer County Sheriff's Office for Clark consisting of three counts of first-degree murder. Smith said the office intends to arrest and prosecute Clark on all charges.

Multiple agencies including the Fremont and Pueblo County SWAT teams responded to the scene at 173 Rocky Ridge Road, just northeast of Westcliffe, on Monday afternoon following the shooting. The Custer County Sheriff's Office released in a Facebook post that the incident is thought to have started as a neighbor dispute, which led to shots being fired just before 1 p.m. The shooting took place on the property line in a wooded area and began with “a suspected property dispute,” the sheriff's office said.

Each of the victims was shot multiple times. Another woman who was also shot several times was taken to the hospital in critical condition, the CCSO said.

According to Smith, the dispute began on an easement between property lines, the shooting occurring on the property of one of the deceased.

Smith added that although property disputes are common throughout the area, it rarely leads to violence.

The sheriff’s office said the four individuals were found near each other close to the property line in a wooded area. The names of the victims have not yet been released.

According to Smith and background by the Gazette, Clark appears to have been working to utilize property involved for his business, Herbal Gardens . Clark was known by law enforcement to be involved in property disputes for multiple years.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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