Santa Fe residents on edge after 83-year-old man shot and killed outside Best Buy
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Tuesday’s homicide of an 83-year-old man outside a Best Buy wasn’t the only shooting in Santa Fe in the last few weeks. In July, a man was shot in the head while working at a Sonic Drive-In. Now, some Santa Fe residents are left on edge and are concerned about violent crime in the area.
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“Growing up here it was a few times a year, and now it just seems constant. Raising a young daughter here really worries me that this is the direction the city is heading,” said Lee Taylor a Santa Fe resident.
The Santa Fe Police Department is still searching for a gunman who shot and killed 83-year-old Gordon Wilson at the Best Buy on Zafarano Drive near Cerrillos. Investigators said the suspect stole Wilson’s blue Jeep Grand Cherokee.
According to police, the gunman is a Hispanic male with tattoos and a goatee. They believe he is armed and dangerous.
“Santa Fe Police have all of their available resources right now working around the clock to apprehend this suspect and investigators are following up on just any lead that we have right now,” said Communications Director for the City of Santa Fe, Regina Ruiz.
The city said they are appreciative of any tips the community sends in. While the area is heartbroken, according to the city, statistically homicides are going down. However, the city said assaults are up 13%.
One concern the community shares is the fact the shooting happened at a busy shopping center in the morning. That shooting comes not even two weeks after a separate shooting at a Sonic Drive-In on Cerillos Road that left a 20-year-old fast food worker fighting for his life. Police caught that suspect, but the area is on edge knowing whoever killed Wilson is still on the loose.
“We kind of have that fear in the back of our mind now, but it’s not going to stop us from doing what we normally do,” said Taylor.
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber released this statement:
My condolences go out to the family of 83-year-old Gordan Peter Wilson. I share the grief and outrage of the Wilson family and our whole community. The only consolation at this time is the combined efforts of law enforcement to find and arrest the criminal who committed this horrific crime. The safety and security of our community is my highest priority and we are working overtime to keep our families, neighborhoods, and businesses safe.
Mayor Alan Webber
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