On August 28, 2017, Wanda Beth Walters, a 61-year-old circulation assistant at the Clovis-Carver Library in Clovis, New Mexico, was fatally shot during a library rampage. The shooter, 16-year-old Nathaniel Jouett, entered the library in the late afternoon, uploaded a photo to social media from the restroom showing his camera bag with his father’s guns and ammunition, and began firing at patrons. Wanda and Kristina Krissie Carter, the 48-year-old youth services librarian, were killed; four other people were wounded.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as people hid and tried to escape while Jouett moved through the room, at times shouting and appearing to smile before becoming menacing. Jouett surrendered to police when they arrived and later admitted he carried out the attack, saying he had planned it and initially intended to target his school before turning to the library. He was indicted and later pleaded guilty; sentencing followed. Wanda was a member of Bethel Assembly of God Church, served on its worship team, and enjoyed reading, music, playing piano, and collecting lighthouses. The community and her family were deeply affected by her death.