ESPANOLA, NM – A man was shot during a rally protesting the reinstallation of a Spanish conquistador statue in Espanola, New Mexico, on Thursday, leading to the arrest of a suspect.
The incident occurred around noon outside a civic building, following a confrontation between protesters and a counter-protester wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. Ryan Martinez, 23, has been taken into custody as the suspected shooter, according to Rio Arriba County sheriff’s office Major Lorenzo Aguilar.
The victim, a Hopi Native American man from Seattle, Washington, was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. He underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his chest and is in stable condition, said Christina Castro, another organizer at the rally.
The rally was initially organized to celebrate the postponement of reinstalling a statue of 16th-century Spanish colonial ruler Juan de Onate, known for his role in the massacre of a Pueblo tribe in 1599. Rio Arriba county had halted plans for a ceremony to reinstall the statue, which was removed three years ago amid anti-racism demonstrations.
The arrested suspect, Martinez, had expressed discontent with the decision to postpone the statue’s reinstallation, according to Mateo Peixinho, an organizer at the rally.
The victim was in New Mexico for a climate conference and had traveled to Espanola to participate in the rally organized by the Red Nation Native rights group.
This incident follows a similar shooting in 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where a man protesting against an Onate statue was shot by a counter-protester.
Based on an original news report by Reuters.