Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Republican candidate arrested in shootings of Democrats' homes in New Mexico

Published 01/16/2023, 10:50 PM
Updated 01/17/2023, 11:56 AM
© Reuters.

© Reuters.

By David Shepardson

(Reuters) - An unsuccessful Republican state House candidate in New Mexico was arrested on Monday and accused of orchestrating recent shootings at four local elected officials' homes, the Albuquerque Police Department said.

Police said on Monday they had arrested Solomon Pena, 39, and accused him of conspiring with, and paying, four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, all Democrats. Police said they had evidence Pena had fired some shots.

Pena lost his election for the state House in November to an incumbent Democrat who garnered more than 73% of the votes.

He posted a photo of himself on Twitter on Nov. 15 with a "Make America Great Again" sweatshirt, a "Trump 2024" flag, and a message that he, like former President Donald Trump, was not conceding his election.

Police said at a press conference Pena had denied his election loss and had approached the commissioners and lawmakers at their homes, claiming election fraud was involved. Police said more people would be charged in the shootings and some suspects were in custody.

A lawyer for Pena could not immediately be identified.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that on Dec. 4 eight shots had been fired into a county commissioner's home and on Dec. 11 more than 12 bullets had hit another commissioner's home. On Jan. 3, three bullets fired into a state representative's home had gone through her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom, the paper reported.

© Reuters. Solomon Pena poses for a jail booking photograph after his arrest by the Albuquerque Police Department in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. January 17, 2023.  Metropolitan Detention Center/Handout via REUTERS

Albuquerque Police "essentially discovered what we had all feared and what we had suspected -- that these shootings were indeed politically motivated," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference. "This was about a right-wing radical, an election denier who was arrested today and someone who did the worst imaginable thing you can do when you have a political disagreement, which is turn that to violence."

Citing state records, the Journal reported that Pena previously had been convicted of 19 felonies, including burglary, larceny and had spent almost seven years in prison.

Latest comments

Republican candidates using political violence? what's new? they been messaging this to their armed militias for a while now!
Steve Scalise wishes the Left wing nutjob only shot at his house.
Remind us again what office the Democrats nominated Scalise's attacker to run for?
That's what's bigots want.. I suggest following The WAY,The TRUTH, and The LIGHT First.
And people mock Biden when he describes our nation as in a struggle for the soul of democracy. We are.
More right wing terrorists!
I hate what Donald Trump has done to America. He normalized violent, ignorant lawlessness in American politics.
this is the kind of violent political terrorism that is coming out of the maga movement and it's spineless supporters.
send him to gitmo together with the trump crime family and the proud boys terrorists
yet another republican rightwing terrorist.. what an effing loser
What a lunatic. How did this guy even get on the ballot in the first place?
Republicans nominated him.
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.