At least 3 civilians dead, 2 cops injured in New Mexico shooting: Police

At least three civilians were killed and two officers were hospitalized after a suspect opened fire in Farmington, New Mexico, before officers shot and killed the alleged gunman, police said Monday.

The Farmington Police Department said that at 10:57 a.m., the unidentified 18-year-old suspect opened fire near Dustin Avenue and Ute Street.

When officers arrived, they found a "chaotic scene," with the suspect firing into the Baric Crum neighborhood, the Farmington Police Department deputy chief, told reporters.

Four officers engaged the suspect in a firefight and he was killed, according to Crum.

The two officers who were wounded, one from the Farmington Police Department and one from New Mexico State Police, were taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center and listed in stable condition, police said.

Crum said that nine people in total were injured during the incident. The investigation is ongoing, he said.

"We are actively looking at several blocks of this crime scene to determine what exactly happened," Crum said.

The Farmington Police Department, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene and are still investigating.

The Farmington Municipal School District issued an alert on its Facebook page stating that Apache and McKinley elementary schools, Central Kitchen and the CATE Center were under lockdown until further notice. Officials said all of the children and staff were safe.

At 1:05 p.m. local time, the lockdown was lifted and the students were planned to be released, according to the school district.

Farmington is located in northern New Mexico, only about 15 miles south of the Colorado border.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tweeted that she was monitoring the situation and expressed condolences for the victims.

"My administration will not stop fighting the epidemic of gun violence from every angle possible," she wrote.