Albuquerque police arrested a man for shooting a protester during a fight that erupted when a group of people tried to remove the statue of a Spanish conquistador that was being guarded by armed civilians, the Wall Street Journal reports. Steven Ray Baca was booked on charges of aggravated battery with a firearm. The victim was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. The shooting took place Monday as protesters were attempting to remove a statue called “La Jornada,” or “The Journey,” that features the conquistador Don Juan de Oñate. Native American groups and Hispanic social-justice activists view Oñate as a murderer who ordered the deaths of hundreds of Acoma Pueblo members after they tried to rebel against the Spanish in 1599. Controversy over Oñate flared as protesters across the U.S. have sought to remove statues associated with the Confederacy, Christopher Columbus and other figures associated with European colonization of the U.S. amid the protests against racial injustice after the police killing of George Floyd.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the protest started off as a peaceful demonstration against the statue. He said Baca slammed a woman to the ground. A fight broke out and Baca pulled out a gun and opened fire. A police report said Mr. Baca was being attacked and struck with a skateboard before he discharged his gun. Authorities said many guns were seized from the armed group guarding the statue. Amid mounting calls to remove the statue, Keller had announced the convening of a group of community leaders and artists to address the concerns over “La Jornada.”