By Colleen Slevin and Amy Beth Hanson, The Related Press
A person was captured Tuesday after 25 hours on the run after police say he fatally shot three individuals and critically wounded a fourth in his newest property dispute with neighbors in rural Colorado, authorities mentioned.
The suspect, Hanme Ok. Clark, 45, was arrested by New Mexico State police close to Albuquerque, the Custer County Sheriff’s Workplace in Colorado introduced Tuesday afternoon. Officers discovered a weapon within the pickup truck, but it surely’s not clear if it was the weapon used within the slayings, mentioned Officer Wilson Silver with the New Mexico State Police.
Different neighbors not concerned within the taking pictures have accused Clark of harassing them, denying them court-ordered use of a part of his property to entry their property, and posting indicators saying he was armed, courtroom information mentioned.
The taking pictures broke out early Monday afternoon as a surveyor was engaged on a property owned by Rob Geers close to Clark’s, close to Westcliffe about 50 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The city is about in a valley between mountain ranges and the world is residence to farms and ranches in addition to trip properties.
The surveyor informed investigators {that a} man Geers recognized as Clark approached them, yelling about trespassing, after which began to shoot. The surveyor was in a position to escape, operating to a house a couple of half-mile away, Clark’s arrest affidavit mentioned.
In line with the doc, Patty Daulton, who was wounded within the taking pictures, referred to as 911, saying she thought her husband and two different individuals had been shot to loss of life. Gunfire might be heard within the background of the decision, it mentioned.
The victims had been recognized as Geers, 63, his spouse, Beth Wade Geers, 73, and James Daulton, 58, Patty Daulton’s husband, Custer County officers mentioned. Patty Daulton was being handled at a trauma heart, officers mentioned.

The Daultons and Geers owned property close to Clark’s, Custer County Sheriff Wealthy Smith mentioned.
Rob Geers had accused Clark of trespassing on his land 4 instances, courtroom information within the taking pictures case mentioned. On Nov. 17, Geers mentioned a hidden digicam captured a picture of a person wearing searching gear and carrying a rifle, his face lined, on his land that he mentioned he was certain was Clark. He additionally claimed that Clark and his girlfriend had “determined to focus on him and his spouse with harassment and trespassing” and had been involved a couple of weapon being seen.
The property dispute had led sheriff’s deputies to the world a number of instances lately, however there was no indication that it could result in violence, Smith mentioned.
Every week earlier than the taking pictures, one other space landowner requested that Clark be held in contempt of a June 2022 courtroom order that had allowed them to cross the suspect’s property to entry their land.
The suspect had additionally been accused earlier of locking a gate and posting an indication close to the gate that mentioned “the proprietor of this property is armed,” mentioned Kevin Flesch, an legal professional for one of many defendants who misplaced his easement entry.
Easements are authorized rights to cross another person’s land, often to entry one’s personal property and are sometimes very important in rural American communities like this one.
Property boundaries within the county created quickly after the Civil Battle usually are not all the time as clear as they might be in cities, Smith mentioned, resulting in requires deputies to reply to property disputes nearly each day.
The suspect was a part-owner of a enterprise referred to as Natural Gardens Wellness, Smith mentioned. Its web site mentioned it’s devoted to selling well being and well-being by the usage of natural cures.
Within the hours after the taking pictures, authorities in Westcliffe, a city of nearly 500 individuals, referred to as in assist from different companies and searched the woods and space buildings for Clark utilizing night time imaginative and prescient gear, telling residents to stay of their properties, Smith mentioned. However Smith mentioned authorities later realized that Clark probably had left the world earlier than they arrived, when his car was noticed in Salida about 50 miles away. That prompted one other shelter in place order for residents there as authorities appeared for Clark with assist from drones and a Denver police helicopter.
It was not clear if Clark had an legal professional who would touch upon his behalf. A phone message left for a lawyer who represented Clark within the lawsuit over the easement was not instantly returned.
The taking pictures was one in all a number of mass shootings that occurred prior to now few days across the nation.
4 individuals had been wounded Monday night time when a gunman opened hearth in a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, earlier than apparently killing himself, police mentioned.
On Sunday, a Tennessee man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound whereas on the run after a sequence of shootings that killed 4 of his feminine relations.
Officers discovered the physique of Mavis Christian Jr., 52, in his automobile throughout a search following shootings at three areas in Memphis that left three girls and a teenage woman lifeless and a teenage woman critically wounded, the Memphis Police Division mentioned.