The failed Republican candidate for the New Mexico state House has been indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury for allegedly planning a shooting targeting local Democratic officials in the state.
Solomon Peña, who has been described by Albuquerque police as the “mastermind” behind the attack, faces a total of 14 criminal charges, according to a statement by the district attorney’s office released Monday.
It includes three counts of criminal charges to commit shooting in a house or occupied building, two counts of conspiracy to commit shooting in a house or occupied building, and two counts of illegal taking of a motor vehicle, the DA’s office said.
“We want to thank the Albuquerque Police Department and our other law enforcement partners for bringing Mr. Pena to justice,” Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a statement. “An attack on our elected leaders is an attack on our democracy.”
Peña’s attorney has not commented on the latest development.
Peña was arrested earlier this month for allegedly conspiring with and paying four other people to carry out four shootings between December 4 and January 5, targeting two county commissioners, Adriann Barboa and Debbie O’Malley, and two state legislators, State Rep. Javier Martínez and state Senator Linda Lopez.
The police department said it is investigating at least six shootings, four involving Peña. No one was injured in the shootout.
Peña allegedly provided the gun used in the shooting, recommended using a stolen car to avoid identification, and was also at the scene of the fourth shooting, investigatorsat a detention hearing last week, according to CNN.
Peña, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, was the GOP candidate in the race for District 14 in the New Mexico House of Representatives, but lost to Democrat Miguel Garcia by more than 47 percentage points.
The former GOP candidate reportedly visited the homes of several Democratic officials who later targeted him for contesting race results, which he claimed were fraudulent.
“He was at my door and he was aggressive. He was a protester of the election,” Barboa, the first person to be attacked in the shooting, told NBC News.
Peña was convicted in 2008 of a “smash and grab” robbery and served seven years in prison. When Garcia tried to impeach Peña from running for this offense, the judge ruled that the law barring people convicted of felonies from office was unconstitutional.