Albuquerque police ID potential links between some shootings

Authorities in New Mexico's largest city say they have found evidence of gunfire at the home of another elected official in early December

Gun Attacks Elected Officials (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Authorities in New Mexico’s largest city have found evidence of gunfire at the home of another elected official in early December, bringing the number of officials who have reported gunfire at or near their homes or offices in recent weeks to six.

No one has been injured in the shootings, which come amid a rise in threats to members of Congress, school board members, election officials and other government workers around the nation. In Albuquerque, law enforcement has been struggling to address back-to-back years of record homicides and persistent gun violence.

“Our detectives are working hard to get to the bottom of these shootings,” Police Chief Harold Medina said in a statement Monday. “We have identified potential connections between some of the shootings, and detectives are pursuing every possible lead.”

Medina did not release details about the potential connections.

In the latest case to come to light, Albuquerque Democrat Javier Martinez, the incoming speaker of the state House, inspected his home following reports last week of gunshots fired toward the homes of other officials or in the vicinity of their offices.

Police went to Martinez's home after he discovered what he thought was damage from gunfire heard in early December. Detectives said they located evidence of a shooting.

Martinez said in a statement he was grateful he and his family were safe.

“We have been working closely with the Albuquerque Police Department as they investigate this act of gun violence at our home,” he said. “I share the anger of my fellow elected officials and all those who have been targeted by such senseless acts of violence.”

Martinez, the former majority floor leader, will be in a new leadership role when the Democratic-led Legislature meets for a 60-day session beginning next week.

Public safety and gun control are expected to be among the top issues as the chorus of residents who don't feel safe in Albuquerque and elsewhere has reached a fever pitch.

Martinez, the son of immigrants, spent his early life along the southern border. Since first winning election to the House in 2015, he has worked on tax policy and early education issues. He also was among those who advocated for New Mexico’s framework for legalizing cannabis to be equitable.

The shootings began in early December when eight rounds were fired at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, police said. Days later, someone shot at former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley’s home.

Technology that can detect the sound of gunfire also indicated shots in the vicinity of New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez’s former campaign office. Police found no damage.

Multiple shots also were fired at the home of state Sen. Linda Lopez — a lead sponsor of a 2021 bill that reversed New Mexico’s ban on most abortion procedures — and in a downtown area where state Sen. Moe Maestas' office is located. Maestas, an attorney, co-sponsored a bill last year to set new criminal penalties for threatening state and local judges. It didn’t pass.

Both Democrat and Republican state lawmakers have called on the public to provide information that might help law enforcement.

The eruption of gunfire in Albuquerque on any given day is not unusual. The police department began using the ShotSpotter detection system in 2020 in areas where data showed violence was prevalent.

As of last October, police reported having nearly 9,000 ShotSpotter alerts since the beginning of 2022. Of those, the department said more than 1,200 helped lead to the identification of dozens suspects and victims.

Some have criticized reliance on the technology. A 2021 Associated Press investigation, based on a review of thousands of internal documents, confidential contracts and interviews with dozens of public defenders in communities where ShotSpotter has been deployed, identified a number of serious flaws in using the technology as evidentiary support for prosecutors.

Albuquerque police did not immediately respond to a request Monday for updated information on the number of detections for the past year or the number of reports in which gunfire struck homes or businesses in the city.