Slain library workers ‘like family’ to community
The Clovis-Carver Public Library may never be the same, but the memories of library workers Wanda Walters and Krissie Carter are sure to endure long past the shooting Monday afternoon that killed both women and injured four others.
“It wasn’t real. It was like something from a movie. You never expect something like that to happen here in Clovis,” said Micky Thanimith, who had known Carter, a youth service librarian, since she was a child. “Just knowing now that when we do go to the library and it’s kids’ time, it’s not going to be the same. It will never be the same.”
Maria Lucero, reflecting on her many encounters across the years with Walters, a circulation assistant, said, “She was such a sweet lady, and her beautiful smile and caring attitude will be never forgotten.”
Walters, 61, was speaking about overdue book fines with Vanessa Aguirre around 4 p.m. Monday when, police say, a teenager walked in and started firing a gun.
Aguirre said the first shot sounded like a small firecracker. When she realized what was happening, she fled with her son. “I wish she would have ran out with me,” Aguirre said of Walter. “It’s going to take me a long time to go back there.”
Lupe Aguirre said he saw people fleeing the building and ran inside to check on his wife and child. He found Walters on the ground, still holding the $10 cash for the fine.
“I said, ‘Are you OK, ma’am?’ and she said, ‘No, I’m not OK.’ ”
Walters did not have any immediate family in the area, said the Rev. Lemuel Perry, a pastor at the Bethel Assembly of God church, but she had a strong local community in her church. In at least 35 years with the congregation, she sang on the church praise team, served on various committees, helped at Nazarene Preschool and served as church secretary.
“She was quiet, unassuming, but very strong in her faith,” Perry said. “We were her family, and she was our sister very much.”
“She always had a smile on her face,” said Louisa Rodriguez, a member of the congregation. “I’ve been through some tough times, but she was always there for me emotionally and spiritually.”
Perry said it was like Walters to check in on others and provide encouragement, oftentimes quietly and discreetly.
“She did not necessarily have an easy life but still continued strong in her faith and ministering to other people,” he said. “She was always very upbeat. You never saw her looking discouraged or upset.”
Perry last saw Walters at Sunday night services, after which she provided a lift home to another woman in the congregation.
One of Walters’ closest friends, Karen Book, said in a statement to the Eastern New Mexico News that Walters “was the most selfless, sweetest person I knew. The outpouring of love and support
is the only way we are getting through this unspeakable tragedy. … And know she would only want our hearts to be filled with love and joy and not sadness or hate.”
To the city of Clovis, Walters was family, police Chief Doug Ford said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. So, too, was Carter, 48. With Carter around, even the gloomiest day was a happy one, Thanimith said. “She was the kindest loving soul in this town and would do anything for any child. Her life revolved around the children of this community. … She was truly a saint. She was the golden heart.”
Carter’s influence on the children of Clovis was not restricted to the library. In the late 1990s, Carter left an impression on students at Clovis High School as an educational assistant.
“Everybody just loved her. I loved her,” said Jessica FitzHarris, who graduated from the high school in 2001. “She would give the shirt off of her back for you.”
Rebecca Cordova, an elementary schoolteacher who also has taught middle school, said she knew Carter to be a reliable source for book recommendations or enrichment for her students.
“When I taught at the middle school, we would go take field trips to the library, and she gladly went and ordered a whole set of books just for my class,” Cordova said. “If it helps the community, she would do it. … She was always wanting to help the kids succeed.”
Monica Phillips, a relative of Carter, said she grew up admiring her great-aunt’s perpetual optimism.
“I never heard a negative word out of [Carter’s] mouth once in my life,” she said. “All in all, she was just the most wonderful woman.”
Phillips recalled a recent interaction with Carter, in which she wished her great-aunt a belated birthday greeting online and received a gracious reply:
“I said, ‘I’m sorry this is late but I love you and happy birthday,’ and she wrote back, ‘Oh I love you too and it’s never too late.’ ”