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Aztec Shooter Planned Attack in Advance, Police Say

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San Juan County Sheriff's Office
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Authorities have released more details about the shooter who killed two students at a high school in Aztec, New Mexico, on Thursday morning. A police investigation has revealed that he planned the attack in advance. The 21-year-old man was an Aztec resident and had attended the school in the past. He gained access to the building by disguising himself as a student. Once inside, he used a handgun to shoot and kill two students in the hall before firing shots into walls and windows in an attempt to hit students in classrooms. He was killed by a bullet wound that is believed to have been self-inflicted. Locals held a candlelight vigil Thursday evening in remembrance of the boy and girl who died.

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Austin Cope is a former Morning Edition host for KSJD and now produces work on a freelance basis for the station. He grew up in Cortez and hosted a show on KSJD when he was 10 years old. After graduating from Montezuma-Cortez High School in 2010, he lived in Belgium, Ohio, Spain, northern Wyoming, and Himachal Pradesh, India before returning to the Cortez area. He has a degree in Politics from Oberlin College in Ohio.