Failed Republican candidate charged in shooting spree aimed at New Mexico Democrats

A failed Republican state candidate in New Mexico was charged by federal authorities on Wednesday for a shooting spree targeting the homes of four elected Democratic officials, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Solomon Pena, 40, lost a state House of Representatives race last November. After his defeat, Pena organized the shootings on the homes of two Bernalillo County commissioners and two New Mexico state legislators, prosecutors said.

The shootings, one of which involved a machine gun, were carried out between Dec. 4, 2022, and Jan. 3, 2023, with assistance from co-conspirators, the Justice Department said. The federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday in the District of New Mexico.

“There is no room in our democracy for politically motivated violence, especially when it is used to undermine election results,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s criminal division.

Read more: Reuters