A New Mexico middle school teacher was shot multiple times on school grounds Friday morning, sending the campus into lockdown and triggering a massive search for a juvenile suspect who was later captured a few blocks away.
The shooting happened Sept. 25 at Highland Middle School in Hobbs, where police were called shortly before 11:40 a.m. after an initial report of a stabbing that was quickly updated to a possible shooting. Officers arrived within about a minute and secured the campus while emergency crews treated the victim.
The injured teacher was identified by his family as Kelly Matthews, a special education teacher at the school.
Matthews’ daughter told KOAT that he was shot in the stomach and hip and may have been grazed by another bullet. He was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery.
According to school officials, Matthews was outside the building when he encountered the juvenile suspect.
Investigators say the suspect, described as a juvenile male, allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired multiple times before running from the area.
A multi-agency search immediately followed.
Police said the suspected shooter was eventually found nearby and taken into custody after a short foot chase. Local reporting identified the suspect as a 13-year-old boy, although police had not publicly confirmed his age in their initial statement.
It was also not immediately clear whether the suspect attends Highland Middle School.
No students were injured.
Superintendent Gene Strickland said Matthews was in stable condition and “in good spirits” following the shooting.
The attack rattled the wider Hobbs school community and led officials to cancel the high school’s homecoming parade. The varsity football game was also moved to Saturday morning.
Authorities have not announced a motive.
Matthews’ daughter said the family still does not know whether her father was specifically targeted or whether he simply happened to encounter the suspect at the wrong moment.
That question remains one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the case.
Police said Highland Middle School and nearby Coronado Elementary School were secured during the investigation and there was no continuing threat to students or staff.
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