A Latino man wearing a MAGA hat was arrested after shooting an Indigenous man during a peaceful protest in Española, New Mexico. For several days representatives, including children from Red Nation and Three Sisters, held a quiet prayer vigil against the resurrection of the Juan de Oñate statue without incident. On Thursday, September 28, extremists arrived on the scene to provoke members of the community in what legacy media refers to as “counterprotests”.
Several witnesses reported that Ryan Martinez, 23, and his cohorts attempted to approach the statue of Oñate where women and children were holding a prayer. Martinez was reportedly harassing the women and children while he attempted to provoke the crowd defending them. As he continued his aggression, several men were seen grabbing him to stop him from approaching the area where the children were located.
Immediately, others can be heard shouting, “Let him go,” and he was quickly released along a short wall and was not pursued. Martinez quickly tried to scale the wall and rush the crowd where he was stopped again. He then drew a handgun, shouted “fuck you,” and fired striking Jacob Johns in the chest.
Martinez attempted to escape the scene in a white Tesla but a protestor got in his vehicle and began chasing him as they waited for police to arrive. He was later apprehended and has since been charged with aggravated attempted murder. Reports indicate that Johns has undergone two surgeries and is in stable condition.
Videos posted on social media show the shooting and Martinez can be seen pulling the trigger at least twice after he shot Johns. Witnesses say they believe the gun jammed and if it had not the incident could have become just the latest mass shooting of non-white people in the U.S. as white extremism continues to proliferate online infesting various non-white communities.
Witnesses say it took nearly 10 minutes for police to arrive despite being next door to the scene.
A GoFundMe has been established for the victim and can be found here.
