On December 7, 2017, Aztec High School in the rural town of Aztec, New Mexico, became the site of a calculated school shooting carried out by a former student. At approximately 8:00 a.m., 21-year-old William Atchison entered the school wearing a backpack and dressed like a student, concealing a handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition. He walked into a second-floor bathroom and waited for the morning bell.
When the halls began to fill with students, Atchison exited the bathroom and immediately shot 17-year-old Francisco “Paco” Fernandez, who had entered seconds before. He then moved into the hallway and fatally shot 16-year-old Casey Marquez, a student-athlete and cheerleader. Atchison attempted to enter classrooms, firing through windows and doors, but quick lockdown procedures prevented further deaths. As law enforcement closed in, Atchison shot and killed himself. The attack lasted just minutes.
Though Atchison had no personal connection to his victims, his digital history revealed a long pattern of premeditated interest in mass violence. He had previously been interviewed by the FBI in 2016 after posting threatening content under a pseudonym but was not charged. He continued his activity undeterred. Atchison was a prolific online troll and self-styled provocateur. He frequently posted on Encyclopedia Dramatica, a website known for offensive and extremist content, and maintained active participation in a well-known Columbine massacre discussion forum, where several future school shooters also posted.
Online, Atchison espoused white supremacist beliefs, openly expressed admiration for school shooters, and mocked mass shooting victims. He used multiple aliases to post racist memes, violent fantasies, and messages celebrating nihilism. In private writings recovered after the shooting, he expressed his intention to die during the attack and referred to himself as “the hero” of his own story.
The Aztec High School shooting did not result in the large casualty count Atchison likely hoped for, but it served as a stark example of how online radicalization and violent ideology can manifest in physical attacks. Despite law enforcement being aware of him years earlier, no system prevented him from purchasing a firearm and walking back into a school he once attended—this time, with the sole purpose of killing.
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