UPDATED: Alabama Street shooting paralyzes WNMU

Students and staff at Western New Mexico University's main campus were briefly told to seek shelter Tuesday afternoon after an apparent shooting occurred near the intersection of 13th and Gordon streets, two blocks north of the Harlan Hall science building on campus.

At 4:47 p.m., Silver City Police Chief Freddie Portillo told the Daily Press that a woman was shot in the leg during the incident and that the shooter had not yet been caught by police. However, the police chief said that “this does not appear to be a shooting spree.”

A social media post from WNMU said police were looking for an older white Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme model in which “an occupant has extensive facial tattoos.” Silver City police did not immediately confirm that description to the newspaper.

On Tuesday at 4:08 p.m., an SMS notification was sent to students and teachers announcing the curfew.

“A possible shooting has been reported on campus,” the alert said. “All students and staff are urged to stay safe. This is NOT a test.”

The university's shelter-in-place order was lifted at 4:45 p.m.

WNMU President Joseph Shepard told the Daily Press in a text message at 4:22 p.m. Tuesday afternoon that the shelter-in-place order was a precautionary measure and the shooting did not appear to have occurred on the university's campus.

“We are cordoned off because there is a shooting [near] 13th and Alabama, while the university is at 12th and Alabama,” Shepard said in the message. “The suspect is at large and we're just making sure we're not taking any chances.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This breaking news story was updated at 5 p.m. and updated again at 5:28 p.m. to correct the intersection where the shooting occurred and to include a description of the suspect vehicle at 5:45 p.m. The first report, published at 4:37 p.m., appears below:

Students and staff at Western New Mexico University's main campus were told to seek shelter shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday after an apparent shooting occurred near the intersection of 13th and Alabama streets, one block north of the Harlan Hall science building on campus.

On Tuesday at 4:08 p.m., an SMS notification was sent to students and teachers announcing the curfew.

“A possible shooting has been reported on campus,” the alert said. “All students and staff are urged to stay safe. This is NOT a test.”

WNMU President Joseph Shepard told the Daily Press in a text message at 4:22 p.m. Tuesday afternoon that the shelter-in-place order was a precautionary measure and the shooting did not appear to have occurred on the university's campus.

“We are on lockdown because there is a shooting at the corner of 13th and Alabama while the university is at the corner of 12th and Alabama,” Shepard said in the message. “The suspect is at large and we are just making sure we are not taking any chances.”

This is a breaking news story and this article will be updated as more verified information becomes available.