Man shot at protest in dispute over statue

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. >> Gunfire broke out during a protest Monday night in Albuquerque to demand the removal of a statue of Juan de Oñate, the despotic conquistador of New Mexico whose image has become the latest target in demonstrations across the country aimed at righting a history of racial injustice.

As dozens of people gathered around a statue of Oñate, New Mexico’s 16th-century colonial governor, shouting matches erupted over proposals to take it down and a man was shot, prompting police officers in riot gear to rush in.

The man, who was not identified, was taken away in an ambulance, and the police took into custody several members of a right-wing militia who were dressed in camouflage and carrying military-style rifles. It was not clear whether any of them had fired the shot; witnesses said the gunman was a white man in a blue shirt.

“We are receiving reports about vigilante groups possibly instigating this violence,” Chief Michael Geier of the Albuquerque Police Department said on Twitter. “If this is true we will be holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including federal hate group designation and prosecution.”

The victim was in critical but stable condition, the police said on Twitter late Monday night.

The protest turned into pandemonium as protesters screamed and dove for cover and police officers attempted to secure the scene.

The police used chemical irritants and stun grenades to “protect officers and detain individuals involved in the shooting,” he said.

“The individuals were disarmed and taken into custody for questioning.”

Hours later, Mayor Tim Keller announced that the Oñate statue would be removed until “the appropriate civic institutions” could determine how to proceed.