While many were mourning the loss of two shooting victims during vigils Wednesday evening in Clovis, police confirmed there were a number of bomb threats in various locations around town.
Police chose not to confirm the locations of the bomb threats, and said none of them had been proven true. Police were trying to locate and identify a suspect.
One eyewitness described it as “cops everywhere” and police responding to various places “every 15 minutes.”
The threats come on the heels of a mass shooting Monday at the Clovis Carver Library in the 700 block of Main Street.
Nathaniel Ray Jouett, 16, was arrested for the shooting. Wanda Walters and Kristina Carter lost their lives. Police identified Noah Molina, Alexis Molina, Jessica Thron and Howard Jones as having been injured by gunfire.
Court records said Jouett came into the library with two handguns and ammunition that he packed into a camera bag. He began firing at people because he was angry, according to court records.
The court records said he was angry about issues at school. Jouett was described a sophomore at Clovis High School.
Related Story: Court Records Reveal New Details on Motivation for Mass Shooting in Clovis
UPDATE: After our initial report was published, Clovis Police released a written statement as follows:
On Wednesday, August 30th, 2017, at about 5:08 p.m., Officers of the Clovis Police Department were dispatched to 701 North Main Street, The Clovis Carver Public Library, for a report of a subject with a
weapon. Witnesses reported a male in front of the Library with a weapon.
Responding Officers arrived and made contact with a male that was reported to have had a gun. Clovis Police Detectives arrived also and spoke with the male who denied having any weapon. A search by Detectives in the area resulted in no gun being located.
The Clovis Police Department K-9 also responded and conducted an area search for the gun with no result.
The citizens of this community are on edge with the recent events, as would be any community. We encourage citizens to report any unusual activity as The Clovis Police Department strives diligently to keep our community safe.
Shortly after officers cleared from the Library; the Clovis Police Department Dispatch Center began receiving calls of threats to multiple businesses throughout the city. These calls included bomb threats and each incident was handled with evacuations and security checks of the businesses. These threatening calls interrupted business and caused a premature closure to several local businesses.
The Clovis Police Department is conducting an investigation into the source of these threatening calls. Once suspect(s) are identified Charges will be filed.
If you have any information about the person(s) making these threatening calls you are encouraged to call and report this information to the Clovis Police Department at (575) 769-1921.
The Clovis Police Department would also like to thank the Curry County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and Portales Police Department for the additional assistance provided.