New Mexico Shootings: Losing Republican Candidate Arrested for Shooting at Elected Democrats’ Homes and Offices

The homes of democratically elected officials from the Democratic Party were shot up by an unknown assailant in New Mexico. Police suspected these New Mexico shootings were politically motivated attacks, and they were right as a losing Republican candidate was the one behind all these attacks.

The suspect was identified as Solomon Pena, a Republican who ran for office back in November but lost to his Democratic opponent. Like many other Republicans, he repeated former President Donald Trump's debunked claims that the elections were rigged.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, Pena was an ardent Trump supporter and even went to Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021. He also claimed that he lost the elections because they were rigged against him and other Republicans, even though such claims have been proven false in multiple court cases and investigations.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina sent a SWAT team to arrest Pena, believing him to be armed and dangerous. The suspect was arrested within an hour of the police sending drones and telling him to surrender.

Failed Republican Candidate Hired Gunmen to Shoot at Homes and Offices Belonging to Democrats

Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of the Police Department's homicide unit, stated that Pena was not the only suspect as he hired others to carry out at least two of the shootings. He stated that the Albuquerque police are continuing their investigations which would now involve "more warrants and interviewing more persons."

The New York Times reported that one of the other suspects has been identified as Jose Trujillo, who has an unrelated felony arrest warrant. He allegedly served as the driver during the attack on the house of State Senator Linda Lopez on January 3. The car he drove belonged to Pena.

The shooting hit several areas in Senator Lopez's home, including the bedroom of her young daughter. Nobody was hit at the time of the attack. A handgun was allegedly used to shoot up the home as the automatic rifle they brought malfunctioned, according to a police report.

Trujillo was previously arrested on January 3 during a routine traffic stop. He was driving Pena's Nissan Maxima and police were able to search the vehicle after the arrest. They found 800 fentanyl pills, as well as two handguns.

One of the handguns matched the bullet casings found at the state senator's home that same day, according to NBC News.

New Mexico Politicians Praise Police for Arrest of Disgruntled Politician

Mayor Tim Keller held a news conference soon after Pena's arrest. He confirmed that the attacks were politically motivated and said that they were dangerous to democracy.

Meanwhile, New Mexico's Democratic Governor Lujan Grisham condemned the violence, saying, "There is no place in our society or our democracy for violence against any elected official or their families."

Grisham also praised the actions of law enforcement for Pena's swift capture.

Republicans also condemned Pena, with House Republican Leader Ryan Lane stating that he was grateful that nobody was injured in the attacks.

The first attack happened in December at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Other Democrats were also attacked, including Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, and finally, State Senator Linda Lopez.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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