US: 16-year-old boy, who killed two people in shooting spree, had suicidal tendencies in the past
Days before the shooting, he was helping the church raise funds for sending teen members to youth camp.
Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Jouett killed two and injured four in a shooting spree at a New Mexico library.The accused has not given a motive for the shooting and does not appear to have any connections with the victims.Jouett is a Clovis High School sophomore.
The teenager is known to have a troubled past but had apparently reformed his life after joining a local church.Stevens from the Living Word Church of God said Jouett had experienced suicidal thoughts in the past – so much so that he carried around a suicide note with himself. He was being raised by his father and his stepmother.
Church's pastor claims that Jouett had been baptized a few months ago and that there was an improvement in his behaviour. Days before the shooting, he was helping the church raise funds for sending teen members to youth camp.
"Before Christ came into his heart, he was just crying, broken," Stevens told Reuters. "He said, 'Now I got something to smile about.' We had no indication of anything wrong with him."
Library staff members, 48-year-old Krissie Carter and 61-year-old Wanda Walters died in the shooting. According to Clovis police Chief Douglas Ford, Jouett was in possession of two handguns.
A 10-year-old boy, Noah Molina was injured--who was airlifted along with three other people to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. The hospital staff claims that Noah is in safe and adequate condition.
Other victims, Noah's sister, Alexis Molina, 21, and Howard Jones, 53. Alexis Molina and Jones are in serious condition. The fourth surviving victim is 30-year-old Jessica Thron. All are expected to recover.
In the initial proceedings, prosecutors plan to charge Jouett as a juvenile with two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of assault, four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count of child abuse.
Authorities would then seek to put him on trial as an adult, Ford said.
Stevens mentioned that Jouett was being held in isolation since his arrest at the library.
Steven's daughter had been dating the Jouett for more than three months. She received a text message from friends on Monday saying Nathan, the name used by friends to address Jouett, was present at the location of a shooting.
Jouett was absent from school at that time because he had been suspended for fighting.
"My daughter thought Nathan had been shot," Stevens said. "So my wife and daughter went downtown to the library, and he had been arrested. He was the shooter."
Hundreds gathered at the Faith Christian Family Church on Tuesday night for honoring the victims of a deadly shooting.
Clovis, 300 km east of Albuquerque, is the county seat of Curry County, New Mexico, United States, with a population of about 40,000.