Clovis native killed in Colorado Wal-Mart shooting

Carlos Moreno was remembered Thursday as a loving family man, an outdoors enthusiast and a cherished friend to those who knew him in Colorado and Clovis.

"He was loved by everyone who got the privilege to be a part of his life," his son-in-law Brad Higgit wrote in a statement released to media on Thursday.

"Carlos had the greatest sense of humor and could have anybody laughing and in tears at any given moment."

Moreno, 66, was among three killed Wednesday night by a gunman who opened fire at a Walmart in Thornton, Colorado, a suburb north of Denver. Moreno moved to Thornton from Clovis in 1998 with his family.

Officials did not immediately release details about how the victims died, but family members said Moreno was shopping with his wife and a daughter. Police said victims did not appear to know each other and the suspected shooter, who has been arrested, killed at random.

Moreno was born and raised in Clovis, where in high school he met his wife Carlene and played sousaphone/tuba in the Wildcat band.

"He was a fine member of the (band) and a great musician and a great student and a hard worker and very dependable," said then-director Norvil Howell, 85, who immediately recalled Moreno and expressed his condolences Thursday.

"He was just a good guy from the get-go," said former classmate Darrell Roberts. "Everybody liked Carlos. He always had a smile on his face. He was just a good guy, and he was the coolest man in the band because he had the biggest horn."

Another classmate some years older than Moreno recalled his quiet, humble and kind demeanor.

"He was a terrific guy. I never heard a single unkind thing pass his lips," said Robert Simmons. "He was a very quiet person, so unless you were close to him you probably wouldn't have known him."

After high school Moreno worked in Clovis for Honetreat and maintained his lifelong pastimes of hunting, fishing and softball.

"We would go to Fort Sumner Lake on weekends, both of our families with all of our children," said longtime family friend Marcy Anaya. "And he played softball quite a few years in the mens' softball league. And he was a wonderful father and a wonderful person."

Moreno wed his high school sweetheart Carlene in 1974, said Anaya, and the family moved to Colorado after their youngest finished high school almost 20 years ago.

He worked as a structural trade technician for Auraria Higher Education Center in downtown Denver and "continue(d) his love for both softball and the outdoors until the day of his passing," Higgit wrote in the statement.

Karey Hogan of Clovis said her uncle remained a regular visitor to the Clovis-Portales area in the years after the move.

Moreno "was preceded in death by his fourth daughter Elizabeth" and is survived by his wife and daughters Tina, Melissa and Callie "who absolutely adored and looked up to him," Higgit wrote.

"I feel his daughter (Elizabeth) called her daddy home to be with her," Liz Romero wrote in a message to The News Thursday. "Carlos and Carlene are dear friends of mine...Prayers to them."

He also has siblings in Clovis and two grandchildren in Colorado, said Anaya.

"Carlos will be deeply missed by all of his family and friends near and far," Higgit wrote. "He was the definition of 'One of a Kind.'"