Redeem now - A New Mexico man was charged Friday with attempted murder following a shooting that wounded one.
- Defendant Ryan David Martinez was caught on camera firing his weapon during a protest in Española.
- Martinez wore a MAGA hat, antagonized attendees before the shooting, then fled the scene in a Tesla.
A New Mexico man was charged Friday with attempted murder in a shooting that wounded one person at a protest over plans to install a statue of a Spanish conquistador outside government offices in the city of Española.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.Defendant Ryan David Martinez, from Sandia Park, was read the felony charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon at his first appearance in municipal court. No plea was entered.
Martinez had attended a local rally about officials' decision to postpone moving the controversial statue, accosting attendees while wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, The Albuquerque Journal reported. Martinez was heard making racist comments toward children, the outlet reported, and was one of several men who antagonized participants of the rally.
After getting into an altercation with other attendees, which was captured on video by the Associated Press, Martinez's hat is knocked off and he can be seen pulling a gun from his waistband and firing a single shot. Native American activist Jacob Johns was wounded in the shooting, and his condition was unknown by police as of Friday afternoon, per the Journal.
Following the shooting, Martinez ran off and can be seen in the AP video speeding away from the scene in a white Tesla.
A temporary public defender assigned to Martinez could not be reached immediately by phone and didn't respond to voice messages. An apparent relative of the defendant answered the phone but declined to comment or confirm her family relation.
Shooting caught on video
Martinez was arrested Thursday after chaos erupted and a shot was fired during protests in Española about plans to install a bronze likeness of conquistador Juan de Oñate, who is both revered and reviled for his role in establishing early settlements along the Upper Rio Grande starting in 1598.
Installation of the statue was planned for Thursday but was canceled by county officials amid security concerns. The statue of Oñate in armor on horseback was commissioned in the 1990s and installed near Española amid fanfare and resentment. The statute was taken down in 2020 during a national movement for racial justice that sought to topple countless monuments.
The victim of Thursday's shooting, a 42-year-old man, was flown to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment of a wound to the abdomen.
A warrant for Martinez's arrest includes testimony from witnesses who described an otherwise peaceful protest Thursday and the arrival of several men in "MAGA" hats. One witness told state police that protesters' children were gathered together near a makeshift shrine at the pedestal intended for the Oñate statue, amid misgivings about safety, and that "peacekeepers" blocked Martinez's way from entering the area.
Police reviewed video of the confrontation as recordings circulated on social media.
"Ryan is seen attempting to rush the shrine and being stopped by a group of men," Officer Shane Faulkner says in the narrative. "As Ryan (retreated) back over the short wall, a man can be heard saying, 'Let him go.' The group of men do not try to pursue Ryan, and Ryan pulled his handgun from his waistband and shoots."
Martinez was transported to a detention center in the Rio Arriba County government seat of Tierra Amarilla. A hearing on possible terms of pretrial detention is scheduled next week.
A pretrial services report showed no prior convictions for Martinez and no prior failures to appear in court.
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