[105] Farmington, New Mexico

We have an active shooter. We have an acter shootings go ahead of the quay with a mass casualty. Welcome to Active Shooter, a podcast that covers the wys, the hows, and the aftermath of active shooter and mass casualty events. I have an active shooter and a building a technic call. That's our big attack on the show. We got Chuck Fliers four fifteen al Bridge ninety one, so I'm like, oh, I'm at a fire on Active Shooter. It's of an active shooter, active shooter, active shooter and mass

casualty incidents. Thank you for listening. You are listening to Active Shooter, a podcast that may contain adult themes, explicit language, and graphic depictions of violence. Portions of this show may be traumatic for those under eighteen. Listener discretion is advised. We want to begin tonight with breaking news that has brought devastation to another community. At least three people were killed and nine others wounded, including two police officers, in Farmington, New Mexico. That's a city

about one hundred and eighty miles northwest of Albuquerque. Video from the scene shows vehicles which appeared to have been run off the road after being targeted by the gunmen. Every school across the city of nearly fifty thousand residents were placed in lockdown as the rampage unfolded. Official say the two officers were injured during a

shootout with the suspect, who was later killed on the scene. The shooting in Farmington, New Mexico maybe the combination of a frightening combination of multiple factors that all too often go overlooked when exams individually. However, when you have the benefit of hindsight, it is clear to see the shooter descending into the depths of a dark place of violence gone too far. Unfortunately, we don't know much behind the scenes of the shooter's family life, or whether there were

other extenuating factors. We don't know how much the shooter was crying out for help, but we do know that this shooter had several life altering events happen in a short amount of time at a very impressionable age, and that those events may have contributed to the decline in his mental health. Today's case is dedicated to the lives and memories of the six injured survivors and the three shooting victims. Shirley voida Melody Ivy and Gwendolen Schofield Active Shooter. The podcast is

a High five Holly production and I'm your host JT. If you've listened to our prior episodes, you know that the Active Shooter podcast team has taken the no notoriety pledge and we will not be sharing the real name to the shooters that we cover. We will be giving the shooters a pseudonym and refer to them by that name throughout the episode. This will help in clearing up any confusion in the story while remaining true to our pledge and not naming the shooter

by their actual name. We will refer to today's shooter as Ted. Monday May fifteenth, twenty twenty three, was a cloudy morning in the city of Farmington, New Mexico. Farmington, a relatively smaller city with a population of fifty thousand sits about fifteen miles south of the Colorado border and one hundred and

eighty miles northwest of Albuquerque in San Juan County. Farmington is filled with stunning natural attractions and has a long history, but according to Neighborhood Scout, the city is among the top one hundred most unsafe cities in America, the violent crime rate is higher than the national average, and today's case is one deeply unsettling example of the random violent attacks that its most innocent victims must endure.

The shooting only lasted about ten minutes from start to finish. The attack was aimed at the entire neighborhood, and if you were passing by, you were a target. Eighteen year old Ted left his father's house located at seven one three North Dustin Avenue. He was by himself and prepared for a brutal attack. He was wearing a bulletproofess that was apparently equipped with soft armor and seemed to be home made with steel plates, and he was dressed head to toe

in black, likely looking like some sort of assassin. He carried a nine millimeter handgun, a twenty two caliber handgun, and an AR fifteen style rifle. Two of the guns belonged to family members, while the third was legally purchased. Shortly after Ted turned eighteen, a nearby ring doorbell camera captured Ted at ten fifty six a m shooting one of the guns at It wasn't clear from the camera who or where he was shooting at, but The truth was

he didn't have a particular target in mind. He wanted to kill anyone and everyone he encountered. He walked south along North Dustin Avenue, shooting towards houses and cars that drove by. The first person that he shot was seventy nine year old Shirley Voda. Surely was driving, but was able to maneuver her way out of the moving vehicle, which continued rolling down the street with the door slightly Ajar Shirley was born on February third, nineteen forty four, in

Tampa, Florida. She had two sisters and a brother growing up in Phoenix, Arizona. She graduated from Saint Mary's High School with a diploma in nineteen sixty two and from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science and Nursing in nineteen sixty six. Shirley married the man of her dreams, Michael Voida, the same year she graduated college, and the couple went on to have five

children together, Michael, Jimmy, Anne, Amy, and Clara. The family moved to Farmington, New Mexico, in nineteen seventy six, where Shirley happily raised her family. After the children grew up and left home. She went back to work as a school nurse, first at Sacred Heart School, then Kirtland and then Ojo Amarillo. The busy woman enjoyed traveling with her husband, especially taking trips skiing and to Lake Vellicito. They played pickleball and tennis

together, and n and just generally stayed very active. They had fourteen grandchildren and one great grandchild, so they took frequent trips to Tucson, Albuquerque, and Huntsville, Texas to visit their very large family that they adored. Shirley loved to give back and worked with numerous volunteer services, including Daily Bread, Birthright, and had been a tax preparer at Farmington Senior Center for twenty years.

A member of the Sacred Heart Church for forty seven years, Shirley was in her element when doing for others, and the world is a lesser place without her. Melody Ivy and her mother Gwendolen Schofield were driving when they suddenly saw a woman fall or jump from her moving vehicle. Shocks. They could see the woman was injured and in need. Without even knowing what was happening or comprehending the very grave danger, they were in they stopped and began to

offer assistance. Ted saw the women and immediately shot, killing both women instantly. Seventy three year old Melody Ivy was born in Great Falls, Montana, to Raymond and Gwendolyn Dean. She met her future husband, Dennis when they were each serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ to flatterday Saints while attending Brigham Young University. The pair began dating and eventually married in the Salt

Lake City Temple on December thirtieth, nineteen sixty nine. They had eight children, including Julianne Christie, Jennifer Merrily, Eric Eden Hally, and Rachel, who produced twenty four grandchildren and a great grandchild. Shortly after getting married, they moved to Farmington, New Mexico, where Melody opened a school called Ivy League Preschool. Melody and her life late husband, Dennis, served a mission in Cape Coast, Ghana in twenty twelve, and she fell in love with

the people and other missionaries she served with. Far after the mission, Melody continued to support the people there. She was a giving and nurturing woman who had many interests, including gardening and mourning walks with her dogs. Her giving spirit will be dearly missed. Gwendolen Warren Dean Schofield, otherwise known as Gwen, was born on June twentieth, nineteen twenty five, in Rockford, Illinois, the fourth of seven daughters. They were a family of hard working people.

When Gwen was three, her family moved to Crow Agency, Montana. Her father and grandfather both taught the Crow Native Americans, who were primarily hunters, how to farm. Gwen attended college at Polytechnic Institute in Billings, Montana, and even though she didn't earn a teaching degree, she and her best friend Helen both wound up as teachers in Valiers, mostly due to the severe

shortage of teachers during World War Two. While living in Valiers, Gwen met Raymond Dean, whom she married on March third, nineteen forty six, in Great Falls, Montana. The couple had two boys and two girls and went on to live a religious life filled with hard work and generosity. The couple was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and became faithful

followers of the religion. Gwen completed her bachelor degree studies at Utah State University and she continued to teach for thirty years in several different places such as Tremonton, Utah, Albany, Georgia, Star Valley, Wyoming, Hawaii, and Shelley and Tarreton, Idaho. A superb cook, she always tended to a large garden and was a diligent canner who was known for her homemade dill pickles. Before her husband passed away, the couple served a two year mission in

Dusseldorf, Germany. Gwen later remarried a man named Charlie Schofield, and they enjoyed a happy thirteen year marriage before he passed away at an impress of one hundred years old. Gwen believed staunchly an education and ensured that she had established means of future financial support for her great grandchildren's eventual educational needs. She was a humanitarian and just an incredible human that leaves behind twenty five grandchildren and numerous

great grandchildren who will dearly miss her. No less than seven homes and eleven cars, both moving and stationary, were shot. The crime scene stretched for just under a half mile along a straight road. As Ted walked along, shooting the rifle nonchalantly. He tossed the firearm into a nearby bush and switched to firing from the twenty two handgun. Minutes later, he removed the bulletproof vest, tossed the twenty two, and started to shoot from the nine millimeter.

Meanwhile, hundreds of nine to one one calls began flooding dispatch reporting an active shooter. Police were dispatched at ten fifty seven am and responded immediately. They arrived at the moving crime scene at eleven oh two am and located Ted you walking down ring Cameras captured Ted taunting police saying quote, come and kill me and come on. Ted was standing just outside of the First Christian Church of Christ at seven to one three North Dustin Avenue when he and police started

to exchange gunfire. The first to plus sir suve that what'd done? Come shine sonnets out sockets, This out is far SI far. Four officers shot back at Ted, who was shot and killed at eleven o six am. As he laid on the ground, police located a note on his person which read, if you're reading this, I'm at the end of a chapter. Lay eyes or dare put a finger on my little sister. I promise there

will be regrets. Gwendolen Schofield and Melody Ivy were both pronounced dead at the scene, while Shirley Voido was rushed to the San Juan Regional Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries. There were six injured survivors, all of whom were transported to and later released from the San Juan Medical Center. There

were a few others who were treated for minor injuries at the scene. Two of the injured were police officers who had responded to the scene, including Sergeant Rachel Decenza from the Farmington Police Department and Officer Andreas Stuttmadiadis from this New Mexico State Police Officer Stuttmadiadis was shot inside of his patrol vehicle when driving up to the scene. He drove himself to the hospital, where he was treated and

promptly released. At least one hundred and fifty bullets were fired, although they didn't exactly all come from the shooter, several were fired by police. A few days before the shooting, Ted bought three magazines for the AR fifteen, along with two hundred and twenty rounds of two twenty three caliber ammunition and additional ten guns were located inside Ted's home, as well as fourteen hundred rounds of AMMO. The AR fifteen had a round in the chamber and a magazine that

still contained several rounds inside. There was no ammunition located in Ted's pockets, meaning he fired nearly every bullet he carried. Over two hundred rounds of AMMO were discovered sitting near the front door of Ted's house. Sitting inside of a backpack. Adjacent to the bag was two fully loaded thirty round magazines for a two twenty three caliber firearm. The magazines were taped together to allow for more

efficient reloading. Nearby schools, including McKinley Elementary School, Apache Elementary School, and numerous other school districts were placed on lockdown for several hours during the preliminary investigation. Eighteen year old Ted was born in October of two thousand and four. He had a younger sister and a thirty six year old brother who lived in Arizona and didn't really know Ted that well. Ted was born and raised

in New Mexico. He was expected to graduate from Farmington High School. The actual graduation ceremony was scheduled for the day following the shooting. According to sources close to the family, Ted was struggling in school recently and had fallen behind in classes. He was also grappling with his parents' recent divorce filing, a move that had rocked Ted's young world. The divorce was filed in September of twenty twenty two in the San Juan County court system and was described by others

as a quote rough divorce. The couple argued incessantly over everything. There were allegations of domestic violence, and the very day of the shooting, an order was issued by the county judge, though exactly what type of order, whether a protective one or not, is not clear. It's equally unclear whether Ted

was aware of the order. Prior to the shooting, Ted was known to be extremely passionate about wrestling, but in February of twenty twenty three, he suddenly quit the high school varsity team due to what was believed to be a difficult relationship with his head coach. An assistant coach had recently resigned, and

it was believed that Ted also had animosity with him as well. It is believed that Ted quit by his own free will, but the coach suggested that Ted was no longer on the team due to quote, disciplinary reasons, but he refused to allow further, claiming that anything that transpired between Ted and himself remained there. For her part, Ted's mother claims that her son's life quote was going to practice, and when he didn't have that, he had nothing.

He didn't have nothing to work for. That's all he knew. For a month and a half after he was no longer on the wrestling team, Ted refused to go to school, and after the shooting, the school refused to address Ted's absences. Others who knew Ted claimed that he was utterly devastated by not wrestling anymore and that that really did a number on him. Ted's mom said that he was never diagnosed with a mental illness, but that he

was extremely shy and secluded, and said he seemed socially anxious. A former teammate said that Ted clearly struggled for mental health issues, and that Ted would not discuss any details of his personal life with others, which to teenagers seemed very weird. At some point, it's alleged that Ted reached out to a couple of former teammates before the shooting. They claimed that Ted talked sort of

crazy, but it's unknown exactly what was said. He wasn't old enough for an adult criminal record, but Ted had a few run ins with the police when he was a minor. Because of his age, it's not clear what infractions he incurred, but they weren't of the nature to prevent him from purchasing a firearm. It's even further unclear whether anyone truly noticed if Ted was suffering

from some kind of mental illness. It's certainly not normal to take a small arsenal of weapons and shoot up a quiet, little neighborhood for no apparent reason. Three people died, six were injured, and countless others were changed forever, and that didn't happen for no reason. Unfortunately, we will never truly know the reason that this happened, and that is perhaps equally devastating as the loss of human life. The shooting occurred a day before the shooter's high school

graduation, which was held in spite of the shooting. There was a small memorial erected near the crime scene. Tape to a stop sign was a slip of paper with each victim's name etched onto it, along with cards and flowers in memoriam we hear an Active Shooter Podcast would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone struggling, whether suffering from grief, depression, or experiencing any type of mental health break, to please reach out. If you are feeling hopeless

or suicidal, please reach out. Seeking help or treatment is an act of tremendous courage and strength, and you have it. Help is available in the United States. Dial nine eight eight or visit nine eight eight lifeline dot org. Someone is accessible twenty four hours a day. We all have the unique ability to help prevent such a catastrophic event from halp happening if we keep our eyes and ears open and never hesitate to report when something or someone just doesn't

seem right. With the delicate balance of mental health reform, education, active shooter training, and common sense gun laws, we may one day realize the dream, the dream that there will be no more active shootings. We pray that love will prevail over hate. In the meantime, we urge our listeners to stay aware of your surroundings and keep in touch with your loved ones. If you see something, say something, you never know how many lives you'll

be saving. Thank you for listening to today's episode of Active Shooter the Podcast. Remember, if you see something, say something, there's no telling how many lives you may be said. A big thank you to Darren Curtis, who composed some of the songs on our show. You can find him online at www dot Darrencurtis music dot com. Make sure to check us out on social media. You can find us on Facebook at Active Shooter the Podcast and on Twitter at podcast Active. Thank you and be safe.