POLITICS
A losing Republican candidate in N.M. is charged over shootings at homes of Democrats
Updated January 18, 20237:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition
Police say that Solomon Peña, left, sent a co-conspirator this image showing himself in a car with José Trujillo, an accused gunman in several drive-by shooting attacks on Democratic officials' homes in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Police Department
Solomon Peña, who unsuccessfully ran for a state House seat in New Mexico as a Republican last November, was arrested Monday in Albuquerque for allegedly paying four men to shoot at the homes of four elected officials, police said. They say Peña paid $500 — and that he took part in one shooting himself.
The criminal complaint against Peña includes chilling details. In one case, bullets tore through the walls of a 10-year-old girl's bedroom as she slept. Just before that attack, police allege, Peña had urged the gunmen to aim lower when they shot at politicians' houses.
Charges against Peña, whom police call the "mastermind" behind the string of attacks, include conspiracy to commit a felony, shooting at an occupied dwelling, and shooting from a vehicle. He was booked into the Albuquerque Metropolitan Detention Center late Monday.
Police accuse Peña of a political vendetta
Peña, 39, allegedly hired the men to target the elected officials, all Democrats, texting the politicians' home addresses to the men before the residences were attacked. In one case, Peña had visited one of the officials one or two days earlier, appearing at her home unannounced complaining that the election was stolen from him.
The evidence against Peña includes confidential witness testimony, cellphone records, bullet casings and surveillance footage, according to Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. Court documents also show Peña appears to have taken a selfie with one of his accused co-conspirators.
A photo that police say was sent from the phone of Solomon Peña shows José Trujillo eating a hamburger while holding a pistol. Trujillo and others are named in a criminal complaint charging Peña with orchestrating a string of shootings. Albuquerque Police Department
"APD essentially discovered what we had all feared, and what we had suspected, that these shootings were indeed politically motivated, and that has basically been confirmed by this investigation," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, said.
No injuries were reported from the shootings, but they set local and state politicians on edge, prompting law enforcement to look at ways to ensure elected leaders' safety.
"This type of radicalism is a threat to our nation that has made its way to our doorstep right here in Albuquerque," Keller said.
NATIONAL
Five Democratic politicians' homes or offices have been shot at in Albuquerque
The violence broke out a month after the election
The first shooting happened on Dec. 4, when eight rounds were fired into the residence of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Four days later, the home of House Speaker Javier Martinez came under attack in the North Valley area. And on Dec. 11, more than a dozen shots were fired into the home of then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, O'Malley and Barboa were two of the four county commissioners who voted unanimously to certify the general election results.
A losing Republican candidate in N.M. is charged over shootings at homes of Democrats
Updated January 18, 20237:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition
Police say that Solomon Peña, left, sent a co-conspirator this image showing himself in a car with José Trujillo, an accused gunman in several drive-by shooting attacks on Democratic officials' homes in Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Police Department
Solomon Peña, who unsuccessfully ran for a state House seat in New Mexico as a Republican last November, was arrested Monday in Albuquerque for allegedly paying four men to shoot at the homes of four elected officials, police said. They say Peña paid $500 — and that he took part in one shooting himself.
The criminal complaint against Peña includes chilling details. In one case, bullets tore through the walls of a 10-year-old girl's bedroom as she slept. Just before that attack, police allege, Peña had urged the gunmen to aim lower when they shot at politicians' houses.
Charges against Peña, whom police call the "mastermind" behind the string of attacks, include conspiracy to commit a felony, shooting at an occupied dwelling, and shooting from a vehicle. He was booked into the Albuquerque Metropolitan Detention Center late Monday.
Police accuse Peña of a political vendetta
Peña, 39, allegedly hired the men to target the elected officials, all Democrats, texting the politicians' home addresses to the men before the residences were attacked. In one case, Peña had visited one of the officials one or two days earlier, appearing at her home unannounced complaining that the election was stolen from him.
The evidence against Peña includes confidential witness testimony, cellphone records, bullet casings and surveillance footage, according to Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina. Court documents also show Peña appears to have taken a selfie with one of his accused co-conspirators.
A photo that police say was sent from the phone of Solomon Peña shows José Trujillo eating a hamburger while holding a pistol. Trujillo and others are named in a criminal complaint charging Peña with orchestrating a string of shootings. Albuquerque Police Department
"APD essentially discovered what we had all feared, and what we had suspected, that these shootings were indeed politically motivated, and that has basically been confirmed by this investigation," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, said.
No injuries were reported from the shootings, but they set local and state politicians on edge, prompting law enforcement to look at ways to ensure elected leaders' safety.
"This type of radicalism is a threat to our nation that has made its way to our doorstep right here in Albuquerque," Keller said.
NATIONAL
Five Democratic politicians' homes or offices have been shot at in Albuquerque
The violence broke out a month after the election
The first shooting happened on Dec. 4, when eight rounds were fired into the residence of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. Four days later, the home of House Speaker Javier Martinez came under attack in the North Valley area. And on Dec. 11, more than a dozen shots were fired into the home of then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, O'Malley and Barboa were two of the four county commissioners who voted unanimously to certify the general election results.
