Residents spooked as manhunt continues

CHAMA, N.M. (KRQE) - Residents are on edge as the intense manhunt continues for a heavily armed mystery man who shot at police and fled on foot into mountains near the Colorado border.

According to New Mexico State Police, Rex Sherwood’s trouble in New Mexico started Tuesday afternoon on U.S. Highway 64 near Dulce, capital of the Jicarilla Apache nation.

Tribal police pulled over the 48-year-old Colorado man for not using his turn signal and quickly noticed he was wearing body armor and had an assault rifle.

He told the officers they would have to kill him before speeding away east on U.S. 64, State Police said.
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Sherwood made it about nine miles and then started firing the automatic weapon at officers before ditching his car near Monero. He then took off on foot heading for the hills armed with an AK-47.

The officers were not hurt.

“He knows what he’s doing,” said Brandon Córdova of Chama. "We just need to find him and capture him quick."

Chama is about 15 miles east from where Sherwood bolted, and the hunt for him is all anyone is talking about.

Locals say there are a lot of empty cabins and abandoned mines suitable for hiding in the steep, rugged terrain in between the two towns.

“Our biggest worry is that he could be holed up here for a while and everybody kind of get relaxed and think he’s gone and then find out that he’s still here,” said Carolyn Beasley.

State Police are searching the area around Monero and Lumberton from the air and on the ground.

So far they’ve come up empty-handed, and that has people worried.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking knowing he’s out there and especially appears to be very dangerous or I don’t think he would have done the things he did or had the arsenal he had if he wasn’t,” Beasley said.

That thought is what makes this whole situation even more bizarre. State Police said the only criminal history they’ve been able to find on Sherwood so far are some drug charges. They do not know where he was coming from or why he decided to fire at police and take off.

“We are definitely locking doors,” said Beasley.

The FBI is helping State Police to uncover Sherwood’s background. There are reports that he is from the Denver area.