On August 28, 2017, a tragic event unfolded at the Clovis-Carver Library in downtown Clovis, New Mexico, resulting in the death of Kristina Carter, among others. Kristina Carter, aged 48, not 38, was a youth librarian at the Clovis-Carver Library. She was one of the two library employees who lost their lives in the mass shooting that occurred on that day.
The perpetrator of the shooting was identified as Nathaniel Jouett, a 16-year-old student at nearby Clovis High School.
Jouett's actions were premeditated, as evidenced by three videos he recorded at his home before the shooting, in which he announced his planned massacre, apologized for his upcoming actions, and attempted to explain his motivations. These motivations included factors such as bullying, mental illness, and suicidal thoughts.
On the day of the shooting, Jouett entered the library at approximately 4:15 PM MST. Before firing any shots, he went into the restroom where he uploaded a photo of his camera bag containing his father's guns and ammunition to his social media. The photo was captioned 'It begins' and displayed a time of '4:10 PM.' Jouett then began shooting, initially firing into the carpet and shouting at people to run. Witnesses described him as laughing and smiling until he approached them, at which point he adopted a menacing demeanor.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of two people: Kristina Carter, 48, the youth librarian, and Wanda Walters, 61, who worked at the circulation desk. Four others were injured: Howard Jones, 53; Jessica Thron, 30; Alexis Molina, 20; and Noah Molina, 10. The police received multiple emergency calls, and about 15 minutes after the first call, Jouett's father informed the police that his son had taken his guns from the safe and left the house.
When police arrived at the scene, Jouett surrendered immediately without any struggle. He admitted to planning the attack for some time and had initially intended to shoot up the school before killing himself. Following his arrest, Jouett made his first court appearance on August 31, 2017. He was subsequently indicted on September 8, 2017, for two counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of child abuse, four counts of aggravated battery, and twenty counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony.
The legal proceedings against Jouett were significant, with Curry County District Attorney Andrea Reeb announcing her intention to prosecute him as an adult. In April 2018, a judge denied a defense request to transfer Jouett from prison to a juvenile treatment facility and ordered a mental evaluation and assessment to address his mental health needs. On October 17, 2018, Jouett pleaded guilty to the charges related to the shooting. He was sentenced on February 15, 2019, to two life sentences with the possibility of parole, plus an additional 40 years in prison. As of the current date, Jouett is incarcerated at the Lea County Correctional Center.
