VIDEO: Shooting Erupts After Violent Confrontation as Protesters Try to Tear Down Albuquerque Statue

By Charlie NashJun 16th, 2020, 10:41 am
 

A protester was shot after he was recorded attacking a man who reportedly opposed the destruction of a statue in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday.

Multiple angles were shared by news outlets and on social media.

As a group of protesters tried to pull down a statue of Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate outside Albuquerque Museum, a man in a blue shirt and shorts was recorded running away as protesters chased and attacked him.

As the man moved away from the crowd, protesters continued to follow and taunt him, with at least one person charging at him. As a violent struggle ensued, a gun can be seen and then the sound of shots being fired can be heard.

As the Albuquerque Journal reported, “The man was pushed onto the street, and then protesters started advancing toward him, some threatening him. The man in the blue shirt pulled a can of pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed it.”

“At that point, the man in the blue shirt appeared to have pulled a gun and fired about five shots, wounding one person,” the Journal explained, adding, “The man who was shot appeared to have been one of the individuals advancing on the man in the blue shirt.”

In a statement, the Albuquerque Police Department said it was investigating the shooting.

“Police used chemical irritants and flash bangs to protect officers and detain individuals involved in the shooting,” the department declared. “The individuals were disarmed and taken into custody for questioning.”

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was “horrified and disgusted beyond words by the reports of violence” at the protest, and blamed “heavily armed individuals who flaunted themselves” and called themselves a “civil guard” to protect the statue.

Grisham claimed the individuals “were there for one reason: To menace the people of New Mexico with weaponry — with an implicit threat of violence,” and added “the individual who was injured is in my prayers, and I am thinking of their family and friends.”

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