New Mexico state Rep. Mark Duncan (R-San Juan) expressed his grief over the tragic loss of three women killed in a mass shooting that took place in Farmington on Monday, May 15.
“Aunt Melody and Grandma Gwen were just exceptional women,” Duncan said in a May 17 KRQE report. “I know the son and some of the family members of the other lady as well, Mrs. Voita, and they are exceptional citizens, so I assume that she is exactly like that as well.”
As more is revealed about the three women who were murdered in a Farmington gunman’s random shooting on Monday, May 15, people who knew them said they were pillars in their community and churches. Duncan represents half of Farmington and surrounding areas in the Roundhouse and said his own daughters and some of his grandchildren attended Melody Ivie’s pre-school, which she operated for 40 years. He noted that she impacted hundreds of lives in the community, and letters posted in a makeshift memorial at the victims' home attested to that.
Duncan said that both Ivie and Gwendolyn were very kind and forgiving people.
“She’d probably be the first one to put her arms around that young man," the representative said. “I tell my kids ‘I love you’ almost every time I talk to them, and this is a great reminder. Just kiss your loved ones goodbye because you never know what’s going to happen that day.”
A common concern that came up during a Tuesday press briefing was how the shooter got the guns he used to commit the crime. One was legally obtained, according to authorities, and the others seemingly were obtained from family members.
Jeffrey Clark, a neighbor of shooter Beau Wilson, was in his garage just before the incident happened. He said he saw Wilson firing his gun, and after moving away from Clark’s home, he saw the victims.
“[I] saw my neighbor in the front yard, very intent in shooting his rifle at things and people,” Clark said. “Discovered two elderly people in their vehicle, dead.” At that point, Clark said he went back inside his own home for safety.
Duncan noted that he will be pushing for more funding for mental health resources for people who are involved in tragedies such as this.