Failed Republican Arrested for Hiring Gunmen to Attack Democrats

A failed Republican candidate for the New Mexico state legislature has been arrested for allegedly hiring four hitmen to carry out shootouts against Democratic officials.

Solomon Pena, 39, who ran for a state House seat last November and claimed the election was “rigged,” was arrested Monday after a confrontation with a SWAT team in Albuquerque.

He was accused of hiring four assassins to open fire at the homes of Adriann Barboa and Debbie O’Malley, two Bernalillo County commissioners, and state senators Linda Lopez and Moe Maestas.

The shootings occurred between December 4, 2022 and January 3, 2023, authorities said.

New Mexico Senator Linda Lopez is pictured next to the bullet holes left in her garage door after the January 5 shooting.

The shooting began on December 4, when eight rounds were fired at Barboa’s home. Days later, the home of state representative Javier Martinez was attacked, followed by a December 11 shooting at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley.

More than a dozen rounds were fired at his home, police said.

The final related shooting, directed at the home of State Senator Linda Lopez, took place at midnight on January 3. Police said more than a dozen shots were fired, and Lopez said three of the bullets went through her 10-year-old daughter’s bedroom. .

Following Pena’s arrest Monday, Albuquerque Police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said at least four gunmen were believed to have been involved in the shootings, with the politician acting as the “mastermind.”

Police officials noted that investigators believe Peña was the shooter in at least one of the attacks on Democratic officials.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said the shootings appeared to be a politically motivated conspiracy.

Peña ran unsuccessfully in November against incumbent state Rep. Miguel P. Garcia, the longtime Democrat representing House District 14 in the South Valley. Garcia won by 48 percentage points, or roughly 3,600 votes.

After the election, police said, Peña showed up uninvited at the homes of elected officials with what he said were documents proving he had won his race. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in New Mexico in 2020 or 2022.

The shootings began shortly after those conversations.

“This type of radicalism is a threat to our nation and it has come to our doorstep right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “But I know we’re going to back off and we’re not going to let this cross the threshold.”

Peña insisted his midterm election loss was “rigged” as officials alleged it fueled his decision to hire hitmen against state Democrats.

Four men conspired with Pena, who is accused of paying them in cash to carry out at least two of the stolen-vehicle shootings, while Pena “pulled the trigger” during one of the crimes, Hartsock said.

Detectives identified Pena as their prime suspect using a combination of cellphone and vehicle records, witness interviews and bullet casings collected from lawmakers’ homes, police said.

An attorney for Pena who could comment on the allegations was not listed Monday night in jail records.

No one was injured in the shootings, which unfolded amid increased threats against members of Congress, school board members, election officials and other government workers across the country.

In Albuquerque, law enforcement has struggled to address consecutive years of record homicides and persistent gun violence.

Investigators received a tip in the case after technology that can detect the sound of gunshots led an officer to Lopez’s neighborhood shortly after the shots occurred.

The officer found bullet casings that matched a handgun found later that morning in a Nissan Maxima registered to Peña.

At around 1:30 a.m., about an hour after the shooting at Lopez’s home, police stopped the Nissan about 4 miles from the lawmaker’s neighborhood.

The driver, identified late Monday as Jose Trujillo, was arrested with an outstanding warrant, leading to the discovery of more than 800 fentanyl pills and two firearms in the car, police said.

A criminal complaint outlining the exact charges against the former political candidate is expected to be released in the coming days. Additional arrests and charges were also expected, but police declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

Detectives were also investigating two additional shootings that they initially believed might be related to the Peña case: one in the vicinity of the former campaign office of New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, and another at the office of state Senator Antonio Maestas. . Police said Monday that the shootings do not appear to be connected.

The New Mexico Republican Party condemned Peña in a statement Monday night. “If Peña is found guilty, he must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”