Law enforcement continues search for Custer County shooting suspect
The suspect remains at large following the fatal shooting that left three dead and one in critical condition in Custer County Monday afternoon, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office.
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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An arrest warrant has been obtained by the Custer County Sheriff's Office for Clark consisting of three counts of first-degree murder.
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.
The sheriff’s office says 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.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
