Former New Mexico Republican congressional candidate Solomon Pena was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for his role in the shootings at the homes of Democratic officials in Albuquerque, N.M. The events took place in December 2022 following the midterms. Peña lost the election and failed to win a seat in the House of Representatives.
Solomon Peña was running as the Republican Party candidate for New Mexico's 14th district. Following the results, according to the indictment, Peña allegedly organized several attacks against the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two New Mexico state legislators. The shootings involved the use of a machine gun and other firearms. They occurred between Dec. 4, 2022 and Jan. 3, 2023.
#APD has arrested Solomon Peña ,seen here, for
the recent shootings at local
lawmakers' homes. Peña, an
unsuccessful legislative candidate in
the 2022 election, is accused of
conspiring with, and paying 4
men to shoot at the homes of 2
county commissioners and 2 St
legislators. pic.twitter.com/C2Hgl9TVDh— Roberto E. Rosales (@rosalesquique) January 17, 2023
According to the Justice Department, Peña was assisted by at least two other individuals. Demetrio Trujillo and Jose Trujillo received payments from Peña to participate in the attacks. The investigation indicated that Peña participated in at least one of the attacks. According to court documents, three of the attacks took place while the families of the officers were in their homes. Some were minors.
After four shootings, Albuquerque Police arrested Peña in January 2023. The charges now hanging over him and his cohorts are conspiracy, interference with federally protected activities and various firearms offenses, including the use of a machine gun. According to the Department of Justice, Peña could serve up to 60 years in prison.
Peña did not concede defeat
In a Twitter post, Peña insisted that he never conceded defeat and that he was "analyzing his options" for the future. The post also shared the announcement of Donald Trump's candidacy for the 2024 presidential election and expressed Peña’s support.
