In an act of compassion that tragically became her last, Gwendolyn Schofield, a 97-year-old White female, was killed on May 15, 2023, in Farmington, New Mexico. Schofield, a retired teacher who was just a month shy of her 98th birthday, was a passenger in a car driven by her daughter, 73-year-old Melody Ivie. The two had been on their way to pick up one of Ivie's grandchildren from school that morning.
Their journey was interrupted when they witnessed another woman being shot in what
appeared to be a random act of violence. True to their caring nature, Schofield and her daughter stopped to help the wounded woman, Shirley Voita, 79. It was then that the gunman turned his weapon on them, fatally shooting both Schofield and her daughter. Voita also succumbed to her injuries. The incident was part of a wider, indiscriminate shooting spree that wounded six other people, including two police officers.
The perpetrator was identified as 18-year-old Beau Wilson, a student at Farmington High School. Police reports indicate that Wilson fired at least three different weapons, including an AR-style rifle, as he walked through his neighborhood shooting at passing cars and houses. The motive for the attack remains unknown, though family members told police he had been struggling with mental health issues. The shooting rampage ended when police officers confronted Wilson and shot and killed him at the scene.
Gwendolyn Schofield was remembered as a self-reliant and vibrant woman who loved gardening and was devoted to her family and faith. She had been a teacher during World War II and continued to volunteer in literacy programs later in life. In the wake of the tragedy, her family mourned the loss of a woman who lived a long and caring life, only to have it cut short by a senseless act of violence. There were no further arrests made in connection with the shooting, as the sole suspect was killed by law enforcement.
