The two victims shot dead in a New Mexico shooting Monday have been identified as Clovis-Carver Public Library employees Krissie Carter and Wanda Walters, police say.
Nathaniel Jouett, the 16-year-old gunman arrested was also named responsible in the library attack that injured four others and left three hospitalized.
The Eastern New Mexico News reports the teen boy had been suffering suicidal tendencies and severe ‘anxiety attacks’ in recent months, one local pastor confirmed; citing Jouett was a new regular at the Clovis’ Living Word Church of God.
Pastor David Stevens told the newspaper the teen was living ‘a hard life’ and his daughter recently discovered he was ‘laying with a gun at his side and a suicide note in his pocket’ during one of their phone conversations.
‘He started coming to church about 3 1/2 months ago,’ Stevens said. ‘My daughter called him and asked if he wanted to hang out.’
‘Wanda was a beautiful person and was taken from us suddenly in the tragic event that took place in the Clovis Public Library shooting,’ her GoFundMe page read
‘Krissie Carter (pictured second from left) was an amazing mother, wife, friend and librarian. She was full of life and loved what she did,’ her GoFundMe page read
Police were seen escorting Nathaniel Jouett, 16, in handcuffs into a police cruiser. Clovis Fire Chief Michael Nolen said he has been arrested for the shooting
Jouett was said to be suffering suicidal tendencies and severe ‘anxiety attacks’
A local pastor said Jouett had recently become a regular at the Clovis’ Living Word Church of God
Living Word’s Associate Pastor Bonetta Hutson said Jouett had an ambition to ‘turn his life around,’ but wound up getting suspended from school last week after he was jumped in a bathroom and found himself involved in a physical altercation.
Police surrounded the library several minutes after 4 pm Monday, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office said.
Police spokesperson Captain Roman Romero confirmed around 4:40 pm two people were killed and others injured in the attack.
One witness told the Eastern New Mexico News that she was in the library with her son when a man came in and ‘started to shoot’ into the air.
The woman did not see anyone get shot, but the shooter was still at the library when she left. She told the outlet she thought he was carrying a handgun.
Two people were shot dead and four more injured in a shooting at the Clovis-Carver library in Clovis, New Mexico, on Monday afternoon
One witness said she was in the Clovis-Carver public library (pictured) with her son when a man came in and ‘started to shoot’ into the air
According to the newspaper, one police scanner report said one victim was in a closet in the library (pictured) and needed medical attention
Some victims were received at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, said Kerri Dufault, spokeswoman for Albuquerque based Presbyterian Healthcare Center, which operates the Clovis hospital.
Air ambulances were dispatched and three of the victims were taken to Clovis Municipal Airport to be transported to Lubbock, Texas, about 100 miles away.
According to the newspaper, one police scanner report said one victim had been in a closet in the library and needed medical attention.
Kim Tipton, who was in a building across the street from the library, saw multiple police units arrive a few minutes after 4pm and they had their rifles drawn.
‘New Mexico’s thoughts and prayers tonight are with the victims, their families and the first responders on the ground,’ New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement, KFDA reported.
‘The Office of the Attorney General has offered our assistance to local law enforcement in Clovis and our victim service specialists are currently assisting the Office of the District Attorney.’
Clovis is about 200 miles east of Albuquerque, near the Texas state line. It has a population of about 40,000.
It is home to Cannon Air Force Base and the nearby community of Portales is home to Eastern New Mexico University.