Shooting victim remembered as young at heart

Shondel Lofton, friends said, was a kid at heart and loved being around children.

Courtesy photo

Shondel Lofton, a custodian at Barry Elementary during the school year and an employee at the Casel-Land Fun Center from the day it opened, was fatally shot Wednesday night

Lofton, a custodian at Barry Elementary during the school year and an employee at the Casel-Land Fun Center from the day it opened, was fatally shot Wednesday night at the age of 35 in what police believe was a random incident.

Police have charged Jimmy Reagan, 31, of Clovis in city's second homicide of the year.

"Shondel was an amazing person," said Chris Taylor, a social worker in Clovis who met Lofton 13 years ago at Faith Christian Family Church. "His generosity and kindness towards others, regardless of his personal relation to them, was unquestioned. He was the most loving and kind person I've ever met, to this day."

Part of Clovis knew him from his work as a custodian, an area where Clovis Schools Superintendent Terry Myers called Lofton an asset to the district.

"Shondel seemed to have a pretty good relationship with kids," Myers said. "Most folks in the district liked him. He was certainly a very reliable, very dependable employee, and we're going to miss him."

However, Lofton was mostly likely known on Sundays at the church and summers at Casel-Land, where he helped owner Kelly Caselman build the go-kart track before the facility ever opened 14 years ago.

Caselman, who employs his children and considers the center to a be a family business from all aspects, said Lofton was the older brother his three children never had. Lofton lived in an apartment in the garage of the Caselman home for eight years.

"Shondel, he was incredibly patient with kids, especially kids who were mentally or physically challenged. I would look at him and go, 'Lord, I wish I was that patient.'"

A self-described fan of "anime, video games and bacon," on his Facebook, Lofton was said to always enjoy simply playing a game of Tekken or Marvel vs. Capcom, regardless of whether he was winning or losing.

Taylor said Lofton's fiancee had a daughter he treated like his own biological daughter, and he was the same way with any child he would come across in church, the school or at Casel-Land — whether it was telling a joke, showing them a magic trick, or just being around to listen to them and treat them as equals.

"A lot of people would treat kids like they were a nuisance," Taylor said. "That's wasn't Shondel at all."

In a business where the customer base is largely children, Caselman said he was always amazed at Lofton's ability to connect with kids — a quality he often saw as they were sometimes the only two employees to cover a birthday party or special event.

"He could remember kids' names; it was unbelievable," Caselman said. "He didn't remember how to turn on the lights sometimes, but he could remember kids. He could remember, I bet, 75 percent of the kids names that came up."?