The suspect in the triple killing in Custer County, Colorado, has been apprehended by New Mexico State Police following a 25-hour manhunt, police confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
Three individuals were killed and another badly injured in a shooting Monday afternoon near Westcliffe over a property dispute.
Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith stated during a press conference Tuesday afternoon that Clark was apprehended just after 2:45 p.m. Smith stated that he was brought into custody without incident and that no one was wounded during the arrest.
Clark’s girlfriend was with him in Clark’s truck earlier in the day Tuesday. A task squad of state and federal law enforcement agents halted them in New Mexico.
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Custer County law enforcement issued a shelter-in-place order for the Rocky Ridge Road area in northern Custer County, northeast of Westcliffe, at 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. It was later removed.
“This is a quiet, peaceful town, nothing like this has ever happened,” said Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith.
Hanme Clark, 45, was recognized as the suspect by law authorities. He was thought to be driving a white Dodge pickup with the registration number BHLK27. Previous litigation conflicts involving property borders and easements were known to the perpetrator and at least one of the victims.
The victims were identified as Rob Geers, 63, Beth Wade, 73, and James Daulton by police. Smith stated that Patty Daulton was hurt in the incident and is recuperating.
Clark’s neighbors, according to Smith. Other specifics about the property dispute alluded to by law enforcement officials were not immediately accessible.
“We have received calls form the suspect complaining about the neighbors and from the neighbors complaining bout the suspect but never imagined it would have ended in a place like this,” Smith went on to say.
Custer County is located around 150 miles south of Denver.
Officers say they spotted Clark’s pickup in the parking lot of a Walmart in Salida, where an occupant walked inside and purchased various goods. They then exited the store, and the pickup drove toward the Methodist Mountain neighborhood.
“The people living on the left side would not allow people to go down that road,” a neighbor, Harley Gordon, claimed.
Clark also looks to be a skilled mixed martial artist in Colorado. According to a tweet from Pancrase MMA in Denver, one of their combatants is Hanme Clark, who goes by the moniker “The Ruiner.” He is 6’3″ and 185 pounds, has a purple belt ll in Pancrase Mixed Martial Arts, a black belt ll in Taekwondo, and has fought in Kendo, a Japanese sword-fighting technique. He also had several Pancrase championships.
The organization’s website also includes a news item titled “Former Pancrase Student and Colorado MMA Fighter Wanted for Shooting 4,” which links to a Daily Mail report on Clark’s arrest.
According to court documents, a guy named Clark is a plaintiff in a property dispute in Custer County civil court. That lawsuit, which dates back to 2020, is still ongoing.
None of the victims in Monday’s shooting were named in the lawsuit, and it was unclear whether or not they were related.
