A shooting inside a public library that killed two people and wounded four has deeply shaken an eastern New Mexico community.
The Latest on a shooting inside a public library in Clovis that killed 2 and wounded 4 (all times local) :
11 p.m.
A woman who was in the Clovis-Carver Public Library when a man killed two people and wounded four others says the man told her to run, the Eastern New Mexico News reports.
Lisa Baird tells the newspaper (http: //bit.ly/2wdMWOQ) that she was about 20 feet from the man as he opened fire inside the library.
« Run!, » he yelled at her. « Why aren’t you running? I’m shooting at you! Run! »
Baird talked to the newspaper through Facebook Messenger. She says she was talking with a library patron when she says she heard a « very loud bang. »
« My initial thought was why would someone throw a cherry bomb or M80 firecracker into the library? Then I saw a young man aim his hand, which had a handgun in it, to the ground/carpet about 6 feet in front of him and he fired like four or five shots into the carpet. »
Baird says she dove under a nearby desk « and tried to squish up as small as possible. »
From there, Baird says she could hear the man moving around the library and firing multiple shots.
« Then I heard his pants ‘shooshing’ as he approached the end of the reference desk. I heard a sound like a phone or something being put on the reference counter at the end of the desk, about 4 feet from my head. »
Then Baird says police entered the library and began shouting for the man with the gun to « lay on the ground » repeatedly.
Police Chief Doug Ford says the suspect did not resist after police arrived.
___
10: 07 p.m.
A shooting inside a public library that killed two people and wounded four has deeply shaken an eastern New Mexico community.
Authorities and elected officials with the city of Clovis said during a news conference that the gunman surrendered after the shooting Monday and was taken into custody without incident after police entered the downtown building. Warrants for his arrest were being prepared.
Clovis Mayor David Lansford says things could have been much worse had it not been for the quick response, training and courage of police. He calls the shooting tragic and senseless.
« This is a big blow to our community, » he said.
Clovis, a city of about 40,000, is about 200 miles east of Albuquerque, near the Texas state line. The area is home to Cannon Air Force Base.
Sign up today for unlimited digital access to our website, apps, the digital newspaper and more.
