Mother: Dispute exaggerated
Richards questions police officer's version of alleged shooting incident

By Zsombor Peter
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A July 31 incident report about a mother-son dispute over school that allegedly led to the negligent use of a deadly weapon grossly exaggerates the facts, says the mother, Evelyn Richards.

According to his report, McKinley County Deputy Sheriff John Trevor-Smith was dispatched to 38 Taos Street at 12:19 in reference to shots fired, possibly connected to a case of domestic violence.

On the scene, Trevor-Smith met Barbara Brooks, who said she'd heard four shots fired from behind the house after an unidentified male voice said "kill them all."

After the arrival of more sheriffs deputies and a state police officer, Trevor-Smith met another neighbor who identified Richards' son, Patrick Clifton, 24, as the source of the shooting and yelling; however, Clifton had already left the scene.

According to Trevor-Smith's report, the officers were approaching Clifton's residence when Richards came out, yelling and demanding to know what was going on and refusing to make herself seen from behind a tree in the back yard.

As officers made their way around the house, they reportedly found a red GMC pickup truck with bullet holes on the driver's side of the front windshield, shattered glass on the hood, and more bullet holes in the attached camper. Trevor-Smith also reported seeing blood on the driver's side door and mirror and another blood spot on the door of the nearby house.

That's not the way Richards remembers it.

"It just got thrown out of proportion," she said.

According to Richards, Clifton was practicing his aim on their property just as he'd been doing for years. But fall registration was winding up, and Richards wanted to make sure her son didn't miss the deadline. Because Clifton was far away, she had to raise her voice.

"I was just pressing him to hurry up, because it was 3 o'clock," she said. "I was just yelling at him to come on back up and get ready."

She said she had no knowledge of anyone yelling "kill them all."

When she saw officers approaching her house with their weapons drawn, Richards said, she came out in full sight at all times to find out what was happening. She insisted she never yelled, but added that she tends to speak loudly.

"I apologize to the officers if they thought I was yelling," she said, "but I wasn't."

As for the truck, Richards insisted that whatever the officers saw were not bullet holes or blood, except for one spot on the house door no larger than finger nail from a completely unrelated incident.

"(Clifton is) not going to shoot at his vehicle, the only transportation that he has," she said. "He's not going to be shooting it up with a gun."

Trevor-Smith, however, who met with Clifton later that day, makes no reference of Clifton denying the claim.

"It's my truck," he reportedly said. "If I want to shoot it or destroy it, I'm on my property. So what?"

That's when Trevor-Smith informed Clifton that he had used his firearm unlawfully by firing it within 150 yards of another person or residence.

According to Richards, the family was under the impression that the law said 150 feet. Now, she said, they know better.

According to Gallup Magistrate Court, no charges have been filed in relation to the incident.