8 bikers shot, 3 dead during motorcycle rally in Red River

The latest: 3 killed were members of rival motorcycle gangs, police said

A shootout between motorcyclists left three dead and five injured Saturday afternoon in Red River as the mountain town played host to its annual motorcycle rally.

New Mexico State Police said, on Twitter,

that there is no “ongoing threat to public safety.” The agency initially said, in an update at 10:50 p.m, that two people had died.

In another update, hours later, State Police said three people had died in the shooting.

The agency did not identify those who had died or say if anyone had been detained in the incident.

Those that were injured went to Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque and a hospital in Denver.

State Police said the first two hospitals had been secured by local authorities and “authorities in Denver have been alerted.”

The agency did not say what prompted the hospitals to be secured.

“We will continue to provide updates as new information emerges,” State Police said on Twitter.

Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said everyone involved in the shooting was a member of a motorcycle gang but she did not say which one.

She said the shooting erupted around 5 p.m. at 400 East Main Street, along the main drag, as thousands of bikers milled about town.

“It’s very tragic. Our law enforcement was incredible. The first State Police officer was there within 30 seconds,” Calhoun said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever had anything like this. We do have accidents, we have had deaths before, but nothing ever like this.”

The shooting occurred during the town’s 41st annual Red River Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally.

“Get ready for the rumble as 28,000 bikers from all different backgrounds line Main Street for one crazy party,” the town’s calendar said of the event.

A dispatcher with the Red River Marshal’s Office initially described the incident as an “active shooting” around 6:30 p.m. but did not say if the incident was ongoing.

An owner of the Motherlode Saloon told the Journal the shooting happened a block west of their business. The owner said everyone at the saloon was safe.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said, on Twitter, that he was eating dinner with his wife in Red River when the shooting happened down the street.

“What a helpless feeling not having a badge, gun or radio as State Police officers and others enter the restaurant and slowly everything closes down and you don’t even know if you can get to your car or if it’s in the scene,” Medina wrote. “Prayers for all the officers out there. This wave of gun violence impacts all of New Mexico large or small.”

Medina shared photos of he and his wife smiling at dinner, 30 minutes before the shooting. In another photo he posted, motorcycles lined the street in Red River, as bikers and others socialized along the sidewalk.