Former Republican candidate Solomon Pena arrested following SWAT standoff for shootings targeting Albuquerque elected officials

Albuquerque police arrested a former Republican state House candidate in reference to current shootings on the houses of Democratic lawmakers.

At a news convention on Monday evening, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina introduced that Solomon Pena, 39, was in police custody following a SWAT standoff in Southwest Albuquerque Monday afternoon. 

“It is believed that he is the mastermind behind this and that was organizing this,” Medina advised reporters in entrance of a projected image of Pena carrying a pink hoodie that reads “Make America Great Again” in entrance of two Trump flags. 

“We are very grateful that we were able to get this individual into custody and to hopefully bring a little relief to those that were affected and all of our lawmakers, especially with state legislature starting tomorrow,” Medina mentioned. 

Pena is accused of conspiring with and paying 4 different males to shoot on the houses of two county commissioners and a pair of state legislators, police mentioned. 

Investigators mentioned that 5 folks have been concerned within the conspiracy and that Pena was immediately concerned within the ultimate capturing. Evidence in opposition to Pena contains firearms, cellphone and digital information, surveillance footage and a number of witnesses, investigators mentioned. 

The investigation into the capturing remains to be ongoing. 

Pena’s arrest comes after an unidentified suspect believed to be linked to at the least one of many shootings was in taken into custody final week.

The shootings started in early December when eight rounds have been fired on the house of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, police mentioned. Days later, somebody shot at former Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley’s house.

Technology that may detect the sound of gunfire additionally indicated photographs within the neighborhood of New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez’s former marketing campaign workplace. Police discovered no injury.

Multiple photographs additionally have been fired on the house of state Sen. Linda Lopez — a lead sponsor of a 2021 invoice that reversed New Mexico’s ban on most abortion procedures — and in a downtown space the place state Sen. Moe Maestas’ workplace is situated. Maestas, an legal professional, co-sponsored a invoice final 12 months to set new felony penalties for threatening state and native judges. It did not move.