Man Captured After Fatal Shooting in Rural Colorado Over Property Dispute: Victims Identified as Rob Geers, Beth Wade, and James Daulton

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Man Arrested After Fatal Shooting in Rural Colorado Over Property Dispute

A man has been apprehended by the New Mexico State Police after being on the run for a day. The suspect, identified as Hanme K Clark, 45, is accused of fatally shooting three people and critically injuring another in a rural Colorado property dispute. The Custer County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado made the announcement but did not provide any further details regarding the arrest.

The shooting incident occurred on Monday (local time) at the property of one of the victims. This tragic event unfolded just a week after an area landowner requested that Clark be held in contempt of a court order from June 2022. The court order had granted the landowner the right to access their own property through an easement on Clark’s property, located approximately 80 kilometers southwest of Colorado Springs.

Prior to the shooting, the suspect had been accused of locking a gate and displaying a sign that warned, “The owner of this property is armed.” This action was in response to the defendants losing their easement access, according to Kevin Flesch, an attorney representing one of the plaintiffs.

Easements are legal rights that allow individuals to cross someone else’s land, often necessary for accessing one’s own property, particularly in rural American communities like this one.

The victims have been identified as Rob Geers, Beth Wade, and James Daulton, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. The fourth victim, Patty Daulton, is currently receiving treatment at a trauma center.

Custer County Sheriff Lloyd Rich Smith revealed that all the victims were involved in property disputes with Clark. However, the victims’ names did not appear in the suspect’s 2020 lawsuit or the recent contempt of court filings against him.

Sheriff Smith stated that while sheriff’s deputies had been called to the property multiple times in recent years due to the ongoing property dispute, there was no indication that the situation would escalate into violence.

The suspect was a partial owner of a business called Herbal Gardens Wellness, which claims dedication to promoting health and well-being through herbal remedies, according to Sheriff Smith.

The shooting occurred on the property line in a wooded area, prompting deputies to respond to Rocky Ridge Road, approximately 13 kilometers from the county seat of Westcliffe.

Fortunately, one witness of the shooting managed to escape and provide crucial information to law enforcement. Authorities conducted a thorough search of the woods and nearby buildings using night vision equipment. They also continued searching the area even after discovering a truck believed to belong to Clark approximately 80 kilometers away, ensuring he was no longer in the vicinity of the shooting.

However, Sheriff Smith later revealed that they now believe Clark had already fled the area before deputies arrived at the scene.

Efforts to reach a lawyer representing Clark in the property access lawsuit were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

The property dispute centered around an easement that allowed several individuals access to their properties through land owned by Herbal Gardens Wellness, as stated in Clark’s lawsuit. The court had resolved the issue in June 2022, granting several area landowners access to their properties through Clark’s land, according to Flesch.

This tragic incident serves as a grim reminder of the potential consequences that can arise from long-standing property disputes, underscoring the importance of finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts..