Suspect in MAGA hat arrested for shooting at New Mexico protest
Suspect identified as Ryan Martinez was earlier asked by authorities to leave
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A man pictured wearing a Maga hat has been arrested in New Mexico for shooting a protester during a demonstration against the installation of a statue of controversial Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate.
The suspected shooter, identified as 23-year-old Ryan Martinez, earlier swore at protesters and was told by law enforcement officers to leave.
Video captured by onlookers showed a man jumping a short wall and heading toward the crowd as others grabbed him. That’s when he pulled a gun from his waistband and fired a single shot before running off.
One person could be heard saying: “Help me! Help me!” after he was shot in the upper torso. The wounded man was taken to a nearby hospital and has not yet been identified.
More than 20 law enforcement vehicles responded at the scene and a suspect was taken into custody. The motive for the shooting was unclear, said the officials.
Oñate has been a controversial figure in New Mexico’s history for generations, with activists targeting statues and other likenesses of the Spaniard for his brutal treatment of Native Americans during his country’s conquest.
What was the protest about?
The planned installation of a statue of conquistador Juan de Oñate had sparked anger.
Oñate arrived in present-day New Mexico in 1598 and memorialising him divides opinion among local communities. He is celebrated by some as a cultural father figure, but condemned by others for his brutality.
To Native Americans, Oñate is known for having ordered the right feet cut off of 24 captive tribal warriors after his soldiers stormed the Acoma Pueblo’s mesa-top “sky city”. That attack was supposedly precipitated by the killing of Oñate’s nephew.
In 1998, someone sawed the right foot off a statue in protest.
According to the AP, Sheriff Billy Merrifield had expressed concerns about safety issues to county commissioners about reinstalling the statue in Española outside the county building. He said he was grateful to the commissioners who decided against proceeding.
Who was Juan de Oñate, ruthless conquistador whose statues have inspired two shootings?
In 2020, a man was shot in New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque, as protestors tried to tear down a bronze statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate outside a city museum.
Police later announced that the monument would be removed until next steps could be determined.
Now, three years later, chaos erupted as another person was shot and rushed to hospital during a similar protest on Thursday in which people were demonstrating against the reinstallation of the Oñate statue — an event county officials had already postponed in anticipation of potential trouble.
Read more:
Who was Juan de Oñate, ruthless conquistador whose statues have inspired 2 shootings?
Spanish conqueror is celebrated by many of Hispanic origin, but reviled by indigenous Americans
Suspect in Maga hat arrested after protester shot during demo against statue of conquistador in New Mexico
Rio Arriba County sheriff’s officials said Ryan Martinez, 23, was taken into custody in connection with the shooting, which took place outside county offices in the city of Española, according to the Associated Press.
Pictures and video showed a man brandishing a firearm. The same man was earlier wearing a red hat bearing the words “Make America Great Again”.
The wounded man was reportedly shot in the upper torso and taken to a nearby hospital, though no further details were made immediately available by officials. The victim had identified himself as Native American to a photographer from The Albuquerque Journal shortly before the incident.