Dropping candidate arrested in shootings at New Mexico Democrats’ properties

Police in Albuquerque on Monday introduced the arrest of a failed candidate for state Legislature in a string of shootings at areas related to high-profile Democratic leaders.

Republican Solomon Peña is accused of conspiring with and paying 4 males to hold out 4 shootings on the properties of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two state legislators.

Two different shootings beforehand believed to be linked to the case thus far haven’t been related to the suspect, police stated at a information convention early Monday night.

On Jan. 9 police introduced the arrest of one other suspect within the case and stated they took possession of a firearm presumably utilized in one of many shootings.

However on Monday, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina described Peña because the initiator of the shootings.

“It’s believed that he’s the mastermind behind this,” he stated at Monday’s information convention.

Peña was arrested by a SWAT staff within the Albuquerque space Monday, the chief stated. Ballistics proof from one of many shootings related the case to the suspect, Medina stated.

A type of not related to the arrest was a Jan. 5 report of pictures fired outdoors the downtown regulation places of work of newly appointed state Sen. Moe Maestas, police stated.

It wasn’t clear if the suspect has retained counsel for the case. There was no response to an inquiry despatched through his marketing campaign web site. An organization related to Peña didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The Albuquerque Journal describes the suspect as unsuccessful candidate for New Mexico Home District 14, which represents the Albuquerque space’s South Valley.

The publication reported throughout his marketing campaign final yr that Peña has a legal report. He served almost seven years in jail for housebreaking, it stated.

The shootings included a Dec. 4 incident when eight rounds have been fired within the path of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa’s dwelling in southeast Albuquerque, police stated.

Additionally in early December, the house of incoming speaker of the state home, Rep. Javier Martinez, was believed to have been focused in the identical string of assaults. Police, nevertheless, didn’t describe the incident as amongst these related to the arrest.

Different shootings initially tied to the assaults embody a Dec. 10 incident on the former marketing campaign workplace of Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s newly elected legal professional normal; a Dec. 11 incident that included greater than a dozen gunshots that hit the house of former County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley; and a Jan. 3 report of eight pictures fired within the path of the house of New Mexico Sen. Linda Lopez.


Andrew Blankstein, Linda Takahashi and Lindsey Pipia contributed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.