13-year-old in custody for allegedly shooting middle school teacher in ‘tragic and violent act’
(Getty Images stock photo)
(NEW YORK) — A 13-year-old boy is in custody after allegedly shooting and seriously wounding a teacher at his New Mexico middle school, authorities said.
The teacher, Kelly Matthews, remains in the hospital where he’s considered “stable” but in “critical condition,” Hobbs Police Chief James Jones said at a news conference on Sunday.
The shooting unfolded shortly before noon on Friday outside Highland Middle School, near the building’s back doors, Jones said.
The 13-year-old went outside the building in between classes, Jones said, and when Matthews walked outside and around a corner, he encountered the suspect, who allegedly immediately began firing at him.
Police have not disclosed a potential motive and said there’s no information indicating Matthews was targeted ahead of time.
The 13-year-old fled the school toward a residential area, the chief said. Officers spotted him a few blocks from the school and, after a brief foot pursuit, apprehended him, Jones said.
School nurses jumped in to care for the teacher as officers responded to the scene, police said.
Officers have recovered a semi-automatic handgun they believe the teen allegedly used in the “tragic and violent act,” Jones said.
Hobbs Schools Board President Terry O’Brien praised the responding officers’ quick actions, saying they prevented the violence from escalating.
The 13-year-old is being held on charges, including aggravated assault on school personnel, shooting threats and unlawfully carrying a deadly weapon, Jones said.
School will be back in session on Monday, police said. The Hobbs Police Department is increasing its officer presence at local schools, with “particular attention to Highland Middle School,” the chief said.
A view of the highest mountain peak in North America. (Lance King/Getty Images)
(DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Ala.) — A search and rescue mission is underway after four people fell while climbing Mount McKinley at 18,200 feet, according to the National Park Service.
Mount McKinley — located in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve — is the tallest peak in North America, according to the NPS.
The climbers, part of a seven-member climbing team, fell in the vicinity of Denali Pass, according to the NPS.
The NPS received a report of the incident at around midnight Thursday after two other climbers were evacuated by helicopter from the mountain at around 11 p.m. Wednesday, as part of a separate incident, the NPS said.
Three members of the climbing team returned to High Camp at 17,000 feet after attending to their fallen partners, the NPS said.
The NPS said it is actively responding to the incident. Weather conditions on the mountain are improving and will soon enable helicopter operations, the NPS said.
The extent of the climbers’ injuries and their condition remains unknown, the NPS said.
The Puerto Rican government is now forcing residents across the island to ration water by cutting off the water supply for 48 hours at a time. (David G. Houser/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday that it’s providing water trailers to Puerto Rico as the island grapples with a water crisis.
The trailers will be distributed for up to 30 days initially, following the Puerto Rican government’s request for federal support, a FEMA spokesperson said.
“This support is intended to assist local efforts as Puerto Rico manages increased demand for potable water distribution in affected communities,” the spokesperson said.
Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon said on Sunday that authorities are working closely with federal agencies as they grapple with a water crisis that has left more than 180,000 households facing 48-hour water supply shuts-off and rationing.
Gonzalez-Colon declared a state of emergency in the U.S. territory on July 31 in response to serious drought and falling levels in water reservoirs. On Friday, authorities began implementing rotating 48-hour water shut-offs in parts of the capital San Juan, as well as neighborhoods in the cities of Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas and Loiza.
The governor told reporters during a press conference on Sunday that an “interagency support plan for municipalities” had been activated to coordinate assistance to the island’s communities.
“Mayors have a direct liaison inside the government of Puerto Rico,” Gonzalez-Colon said. “Each head of agency has the responsibility to maintain communication with that mayor, to understand the needs that arise, to channel urgent situations, to support the distribution of water trucks, and to facilitate coordination with the agencies that need to intervene.”
The island’s Public Housing Administration has begun installing community cisterns in different public housing complexes, the governor said, while portable water is also being distributed directly to residents with support from the fire department.
Puerto Rican authorities are working closely with the federal government in their response to the crisis, Gonzalez-Colon said. “We are combining a climate committee, actually a drought committee, with all the scientific people. The federal government is helping us out as well,” she said in a press conference on Saturday.
“In the case of Puerto Rico, a few weeks ago was the hottest day in San Juan in 100 years,” Gonzalez-Colon said on Saturday, telling CNN that the island was also grappling with almost 1,000 fires across the island.
July was the driest month on record for San Juan in more than 120 years and the fourth hottest on record for the capital. The U.S. Drought Monitor said that as of Aug. 4, almost 25% of Puerto Rico was experiencing a severe drought and another 36% was under a moderate drought.
“This situation is out of our hands,” Gonzalez-Colon said last week, blaming the severe weather for the shortages. “Nothing prevents this from worsening,” the governor added.
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo Jose Hernandez, meanwhile, last week urged Gonzalez-Colon to seek a federal emergency declaration from President Donald Trump. “Faced with the water crisis, Puerto Rico needs an immediate response,” Hernandez wrote in a post to X.
Amid concern over disruption to the island’s vital tourism and hospitality industry, the government-owned Puerto Rico Tourism Company said in a statement that it was “committed to our tourism industry, providing the necessary support to maintain the continuity of operations in our hostels and guarantee services to their guests.”
“Water distribution continues in areas impacted by the scheduled interruption plan, supporting the continuity of services and the care of our visitors,” it added.
ABC News’ Ayanna Martinez and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
A cargo plane from Puerto Rico overran a runway at Miami International Airport Sunday afternoon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the FAA statement said.
Air traffic control recordings from LiveATC.com state that the aircraft ran off the end of the runway and may have also struck a vehicle on a perimeter road.
“At approximately 2 p.m. today, Prime Air flight 7598 overran Miami International Airport’s diagonal runway and is disabled at the northwest end of the airport,” according to a statement issued by Miami International Airport.
“All runways and taxiways at MIA are currently closed as of 3:00 p.m. and a ground stop is in effect. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) has responded,” the airport statement further said.
“Over 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units are on scene of an incident involving a plane that overran a runway and struck multiple vehicles near Miami International Airport,” according to a post on X from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. “Units arrived to find an airplane that had caught on fire as a result of this crash, with heavy flames and smoke showing. Firefighters are working on extinguishing the fire and assessing patients.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
