A county commissioner who was among six Democratic leaders in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose homes or offices were fired upon, said she won’t let the attacks stop her from doing her job.
The home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa was the first to come under attack on December 4, when eight shots were fired. Shooting continued on and off until Thursday, when shots were fired outside the downtown law offices of newly appointed state Senator Antonio “Moe” Maestas.
Nobody was hurt. Albuquerque police arrested a suspect whom they did not publicly identify Monday; They have not said if they are looking for someone else or what the motive might have been.
“I can’t let this intimidate me from public service,” Barboa said Tuesday, adding that he believes the shootings were politically motivated. «The homes of Democrats are being directly attacked.»
Police officials did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Chief Harold Medina said at a news conference Monday that the suspect was being held on charges unrelated to the shootings and that investigators had seized a weapon at one of the locations.
With few responses, the shootings confused and puzzled many state and county officials.
“You could have killed us,” said former county commissioner Debbie O’Malley, whose home was hit with 12 bullets Dec. 11 while she and her husband slept.
“We thought someone was pounding on the door with their fist,” he continued. “Then we jumped out of bed. What if she had been walking?
Like Barboa, she said she refuses to live in fear or leave the community she has always known.
On January 3, at least eight shots were fired at the home of State Senator Linda López. Neither she nor the state’s newly elected attorney general, Raúl Torrez, whose former campaign office was attacked on December 10, could be reached for comment Tuesday.
Maestas said he doesn’t understand why someone would do this.
“There doesn’t seem to be a political connection, like we voted on the same bill,” he said Tuesday, adding that he is grateful that police have been patrolling his home and those of the other victims.
Police said Monday that the home of the incoming state House speaker, Democratic Rep. Javier Martinez, was also attacked in early December, but he did not report it until he learned of the other shootings. He declined to comment Tuesday.
