On December 7, 2017, a tragic school shooting occurred at Aztec High School in Aztec, New Mexico, resulting in the deaths of two students, including 17-year-old Casey Jordan Marquez. The perpetrator of the shooting was William Edward 'Bill' Atchison, a 21-year-old former student of Aztec High School.
Atchison, born on March 18, 1996, had a history of troubling behavior. He lived in Belen, New Mexico, before moving to Aztec with his family and attending Aztec High School.
Atchison was known to have been bullied in school, with one incident involving him being attacked during a welding class and stabbed in the chest. He was also suspended on March 9, 2012, for writing the schedule of the Columbine school shooting on a whiteboard, after which he did not return to school and ultimately disenrolled later that year.
In March 2016, Atchison was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for threatening to commit a mass shooting at his former school. During this investigation, the FBI discovered that Atchison had posted on an online gaming website seeking advice on how to acquire a cheap assault rifle for a mass shooting. Despite his significant online profile as someone obsessed with school shootings and his involvement with neo-Nazi and white nationalist websites, the FBI concluded that Atchison was just posting these comments 'in jest' and had no plans to secure a gun. The FBI did not share this information with the high school or investigate Atchison's school file, which would have revealed his previous suspension and other concerning behaviors.
On the day of the shooting, Atchison entered Aztec High School disguised as a student, carrying a backpack with a gun and several magazines. He hid in a second-floor bathroom of the 800/900 building to gear up. When Francisco Fernandez, a 17-year-old junior and football player, walked into the bathroom, Atchison shot and killed him. Atchison then exited the bathroom and entered the hallway, where he encountered and killed Casey Jordan Marquez, a 17-year-old senior and cheerleader. Both victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Atchison continued to walk up and down the halls, firing randomly and shooting into some classrooms before eventually killing himself via a shot to the head at 8:16 a.m..
The motive behind Atchison's actions remained unclear, with investigators speculating that he may have been driven by a desire for fame in the world of school shooters. The quick actions of the teachers in barricading doors to the classrooms were credited with preventing mass casualties. Police arrived at the school less than a minute after receiving the first calls about the shooting and entered the school through a door and window.
There were no arrests made in this case, as the perpetrator, William Atchison, died by suicide at the scene. The incident led to significant community grief and a series of vigils and memorial services. The family of Casey Jordan Marquez later filed wrongful death lawsuits against the FBI and the school, alleging negligence in their handling of the situation and failure to act on prior warnings about Atchison's behavior.
