They arrest a former Republican candidate accused of attacking Democrats 2:23
(CNN) --
A Republican candidate for state office in New Mexico who blamed his loss on a "rigged" election is accused of masterminding a series of shootings targeting the homes of elected Democrats.
Salomon Peña, who lost his candidacy in 2022 for District 14 of the state House of Representatives, was arrested this Monday by the Albuquerque Police for allegedly paying and conspiring with four men to shoot at the homes of two state legislators and two commissioners. county in December and January, authorities said.
No one was hurt, but investigators say Peña intended to cause serious injury or death.
According to the Police, the shots were fired on December 4 against the Bernalillo County Commissioner, Adriann Barboa;
on December 8 against the incoming president of the state House of Representatives, Javier Martínez;
on December 11 against then-Bernalillo Commissioner Debbie O'Malley;
and on January 3 against State Senator Linda López.
CNN contacted Peña's campaign website for comment and has not been able to identify his attorney.
This is what we know about Peña.
Go to officials with allegations of electoral fraud
After losing the November election and before the recent shootings, Peña approached a legislator and some county commissioners at their homes, uninvited, with documentation he said showed voting fraud had taken place, according to police.
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Barboa was one of those officials.
Later, on December 4, shots were fired at her home, according to police.
"He came to my house after the elections. [...] He said that the elections were false [...] he really spoke erratically. I didn't feel threatened at that moment, but I did feel that he was erratic," Barboa said. to "CNN This Morning" this Tuesday.
Peña, who obtained 26% of the votes, tweeted that he "never conceded" the election
Peña lost the race against the Democratic state representative, Miguel García, who obtained 74% of the votes.
A week later, he tweeted that he "never conceded" the contest and that he was looking into his options.
In the mid-November tweet, Peña mentioned former President Donald Trump, whose falsehoods about election results, mostly among Republicans and often without proof, have skyrocketed across the country since he lost his re-election bid and began spreading lies about the theft of the 2020 presidential election.
False claims of voter fraud have stoked anger – and threats of remorseless violence – against public officials down to the local level.
"Trump just announced [to seek the presidential candidacy] for 2024," Peña tweeted.
"I support him."
On December 12, Peña responded to a tweet posted by the current US House Minority Leader, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who wrote: "Violent insurgents and extreme MAGA Republicans are melting down for the repeated electoral losses. So they accuse the Democrats of undermining democracy. Get lost."
"I disagree," Peña tweeted.
"New Mexico's elections are absolutely rigged. And we will pursue justice."
On January 2 and again on January 9, Peña reiterated his claims of denial and voter fraud, tweeting that he will "fight until the day I die" and vowing "MAGA Nation 4ever [forever]!".
Four shootings between December 4 and January 4
Pena faces charges stemming from the four separate shootings.
On December 4, shots were fired at Barboa's house.
Barboa said he discovered the evidence of the shooting after returning from Christmas shopping.
"It was terrifying. My house was shot four times through the front door and windows, where just hours before my granddaughter and I were playing in the living room," Barboa said in a statement.
"Prosecuting this attack remains incredibly tough, especially knowing that other women and elected officials of people of color, with children and grandchildren, were targeted."
Barboa said she is grateful for an arrest in the case, she told "CNN This Morning" on Tuesday.
"I am relieved to know that people will no longer be attacked in this way by him," he said.
Shooting at the home of the new speaker of the House of Representatives
On December 8, a shooting was reported at Martinez's home.
"I am deeply grateful to our Albuquerque Police Department for their hard work throughout the investigation into these shootings of elected officials. I am grateful that a suspect is in custody, and I am confident that our justice system will hold those responsible accountable. be held accountable," Martinez said in a statement.
"We have seen too much political violence of late and all these events are powerful reminders that stoking fear, escalating tensions and stoking hatred can have devastating consequences."
Shooting at home of then Bernalillo Commissioner Debbie O'Malley
O'Malley's home was attacked on December 11.
"I feel very relieved, as does my family. I really appreciate the work of the Police," O'Malley told CNN on Monday night.
O'Malley and her husband were sleeping when more than a dozen shots were fired at their Albuquerque home on December 11, she said.
O'Malley called police to say that the adobe fence around his house had been damaged by gunfire.
As police investigated, O'Malley mentioned that Pena had come to his house a day or two before the incident complaining about recent election results, according to the affidavit.
Doorbell camera video shows Pena looking for Debbie O'Malley at an address where she used to live.
Courtesy of Debbie O'Malley
Ring doorbell camera footage recorded at O'Malley's former residence and obtained by CNN showed Pena outside the door and calling, documents in hand.
The current resident spoke to him through the camera's speaker, telling him that O'Malley no longer lived in that residence and directing him to his new home.
Shots fired at the home of state senator Linda Lopez
On January 3, López's house was attacked, according to police.
At least eight shots were fired at the southwest Albuquerque residence.
Police said Peña pulled the trigger on one of the firearms.
"My children and I were woken up by some loud noises. At first, I thought it was fireworks," Lopez told CNN affiliate KOAT.
"It's very scary. As a mother, it's something you never want to experience."
Three shots entered his daughter's bedroom and two into Lopez's, KOAT reported.
Lopez told police that he "heard loud banging, but he dismissed it as fireworks at the time," according to Peña's arrest warrant affidavit.
Lopez's daughter thought she had a spider on her face and that there was sand in her bed, the senator told police.
Agents discovered that "there was plaster dust on Linda's daughter's face and bed as a result of firearm projectiles passing through the ceiling of her bedroom," according to the affidavit.
"At first I thought it was fireworks," says Democratic senator whose New Mexico home was shot 12 times
Investigators found evidence that "Pena himself participated in the shooting and pulled the trigger on at least one of the firearms used," Albuquerque Police Deputy Commissioner Kyle Hartsock said.
But an AR weapon he tried to use malfunctioned.
According to the Police, another shooter fired more than a dozen shots with another pistol.
The casings found at López's house matched those of a pistol confiscated in a silver Nissan Maxima involved in a traffic stop about 40 minutes after the shooting and about 4 miles from the residence, according to police.
The Maxima was registered to Peña, although Peña was not driving it when he was pulled over, police said.
Peña's opponent filed a lawsuit to remove him from the ballot
During the fall campaign, Peña's opponent, Democratic state representative Miguel Garcia, sued to have Peña removed from the ballot, arguing that Peña's ex-felony status should have prevented him from running for public office in the state, CNN affiliate KOAT reported.
Peña served nearly seven years in prison after a 2008 conviction for stealing a large volume of property in a "robbery scheme," according to the KOAT report.
"You can't hide from your own story," Peña told the outlet in September.
"I had nothing but the desire to improve my lot in life."
The Bernalillo County Second Judicial District Court cleared Peña in September in part because the state Constitution allows a felon to vote.
"In other words, our state Constitution provides that if a convicted felon is qualified to vote by satisfying any statutory requirement to be able to vote, that person is also qualified to hold public office," the court documents said.
Police identify Peña as the alleged mastermind
Peña was arrested by the Albuquerque Police this Monday.
"He is believed to be the mastermind" of the shootings, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told reporters, referring to the suspect.
An investigation confirmed that "these shootings were politically motivated," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said Monday.
"At the end of the day, this was a radical right-wing, an election denier who was arrested today and someone who did the worst thing you can do when you have a political disagreement, which is turn it into violence," Keller said. a democrat.
"We know we don't always agree with our elected officials, but that should never, ever lead to violence."
Police are still investigating whether the suspects in the shootings were "even aware of who these targets were or were simply carrying out shootings," according to Hartsock.
Firearms evidence, surveillance video, electronic and cell phone records, as well as witnesses to the conspiracy and their surroundings, have contributed to the investigation and helped authorities link five people to the alleged conspiracy, according to Hartsock. .
"After the November elections, Salomón Peña contacted and hired someone for an amount of cash to commit at least two of these shootings. The addresses of the shootings were communicated by phone," Hartsock said Monday, citing the investigation. .
"In a matter of hours, in one of the cases, the shooting took place at the legislator's home."
Detectives carried out search warrants Monday at Peña's apartment and at the home of two men allegedly paid by Peña, according to police.
"Solomon provided firearms and cash payments and personally participated in at least one shooting," the arrest affidavit reads.
"Solomon intended [to cause] serious injury or death to the occupants within their homes."
Agents arrested Pena on suspicion of "helping to orchestrate and participate in these four shootings, either at his request or personally carrying them out," Hartsock added.
Peña is being held on preliminary felony charges in possession of a firearm;
attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon;
criminal incitement;
and four counts each of shooting into an occupied dwelling, shooting at or from a vehicle, and conspiracy, pursuant to a court order.
Former Republican candidate Solomon Peña is arrested for allegedly orchestrating shootings at the homes of Democrats in New Mexico
Peña wanted the attackers to be "more aggressive"
Police said last week they had a suspect in custody and had obtained a firearm related to one of the shootings.
A car driven by one of the shooting locations was registered to Peña, according to police.
Charges are expected to be filed against the other men involved in the shootings, according to police.
One of the conspirators initially instructed the attackers "to aim above the windows to avoid hitting anyone inside," according to the affidavit, citing a confidential witness with knowledge of the alleged plot.
But Peña ultimately wanted the attackers to be "more aggressive," according to the affidavit, citing the confidential witness.
Peña "wanted them to aim lower and shoot around 8 pm because the occupants were most likely not in bed," the affidavit quoted the confidential witness as saying.
-- Paradise Afshar, Jennifer Henderson, Jason Hanna, Andi Babineau, Josh Campbell, Jack Hannah, Caroll Alvarado and Amanda Jackson contributed reporting.
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