A 13-year-old student is accused of shooting teacher Kelly Matthews outside Highland Middle School before fleeing the campus.
HOBBS, N.M. — Newly released body-camera footage shows officers rushing to help a seriously wounded teacher and searching nearby streets after a 13-year-old student allegedly opened fire outside Highland Middle School in Hobbs, New Mexico, authorities said.
The footage provides a closer look at the police response to the Sept. 25 shooting that left teacher Kelly Matthews seriously injured. Police said Matthews encountered the student outside the rear portion of the school shortly before noon. The student allegedly fired at Matthews and ran from the area before officers found him nearby following a brief foot pursuit. No students or other staff members were injured.
Police were dispatched at about 11:39 a.m. after emergency calls initially described a possible stabbing and then a shooting. Body-camera footage released to KCBD shows an officer jumping a fence and running toward Matthews as school nurse Sylvia Pena provided aid. Matthews was conscious and able to give officers a description of the person who had shot him, helping police focus their search.
Matthews told an officer that he did not know who had attacked him. According to the footage, he said he had walked outside when someone turned toward him, began firing and then ran away. Police broadcast a description of a young male wearing dark clothing, and officers secured the school as other agencies joined the search in the surrounding neighborhood.
Police found a 13-year-old Highland Middle School student matching the description a short distance from campus. Authorities said he ran from officers before being taken into custody. Investigators recovered a semiautomatic handgun along the route they believe he took while fleeing. A bladed weapon also was found near the area of the shooting, according to police.
Investigators have said the student attended morning classes before leaving the building between classes. Police said Matthews later walked through a rear door and encountered the student outside. Authorities have not established that Matthews was specifically targeted. Police have said the investigation has not identified another person who helped plan or carry out the shooting.
Court testimony later provided additional allegations about what the student carried to school. The Albuquerque Journal reported that a Juvenile Probation Office representative testified that the student brought a handgun, two knives and about 50 rounds of ammunition to campus. According to the testimony, the student reportedly said Matthews was not a specifically selected target. Those allegations remain part of the legal proceedings and have not been established as findings of guilt.
The body-camera footage also captures officers locating the student in an alley. Police reports cited by KCBD say detectives later interviewed him with his parents present. Investigators reported that the student was overheard telling his father that he had obtained the gun from a safe at home. Authorities previously said they knew where the firearm came from but initially withheld that information while the investigation continued. Police said no criminal charges had been pursued against the parents at that stage of the investigation.
The student faces multiple allegations stemming from the shooting, including offenses related to assault or battery against school personnel, carrying a deadly weapon, interfering with school operations, tampering with evidence and fleeing law enforcement. Because the accused is a juvenile, the handling of the case differs from an ordinary adult criminal prosecution. Local officials also said the case was being referred to the federal system, with Hobbs Police Chief James Jones describing federal court as a better fit for the circumstances.
Matthews was initially treated in Hobbs and later transferred to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, with serious injuries. He was described by police in the days after the shooting as being in stable but critical condition. His wife later told KCBD that he had moved to a rehabilitation center and continued working on his recovery. She said the family remained uncertain about the long-term effects of his injuries.
Highland Middle School reopened after the shooting with an increased police presence and support services for students and staff. The 13-year-old remained in custody as the case moved through the legal system, while investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the student’s access to the weapon.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.