New Mexico resident Ryan Martinez, 23, who was taken into custody as the suspected shooter, is seen in this undated handout.
New Mexico State Police/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 29 (Reuters) - A New Mexico man was charged with attempted murder for shooting a demonstrator at a protest over plans to reinstall a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside a civic complex in northern New Mexico, police said.
Twenty-three-year-old Ryan Martinez of Sandia Park was arrested on Thursday after he shot a 42-year-old man while attempting to disrupt the peaceful protest outside county offices in Espanola, state police said in a statement.
The bronze was taken down in 2020 during nationwide anti-racism protests to topple monuments to European colonizers and Confederate officials.
The wounded man, a Hopi Native man from Seattle, Washington, was in critical condition at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque awaiting surgery, said Mateo Peixinho, an organizer for the protest rally.
Persons:
Ryan Martinez, Juan de Onate, Mateo Peixinho, Martinez, MAGA, Peixinho, Onate, Andrew Hay, Chris Reese
Organizations:
New Mexico State Police, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Sandia Park, Rio, University of New, University of New Mexico Hospital, Police, Thomson
Locations:
Mexico, New, Spanish, New Mexico, Espanola, Rio Arriba, Seattle , Washington, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, Onate