New Mexico police investigating shootings targeting elected officials

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, are investigating a recent spate of shootings that appear to be targeting the homes and offices of local elected officials.

Gun shots were reported near the office of New Mexico state Sen. Antonio “Moe” Maestas (D) on Thursday morning, in the most recent of four shootings involving elected officials, according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

No one was injured in Thursday’s shooting, or any of the previous shootings, according to police.

“Fortunately, nobody has been injured by these shootings,” Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said in a statement. “But every time someone fires a gun into a home or business, there is a potential for tragedy. Our detectives are working overtime to track down the offender or offenders and hold them responsible.”

The first of the shootings occurred on the afternoon of Dec. 4, when eight rounds were fired at the home of Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa. The city of Albuquerque lies within Bernalillo County.

A week later, on Dec. 11, more than a dozen gunshot impacts were identified after a shooting at the home of then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley. On Tuesday, at least eight shots were fired at the home of New Mexico state Sen. Linda Lopez (D).

“Our elected officials have chosen to serve. They should never be made to feel in danger in the comfort of their own homes, nor should anyone,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said at a press conference on Thursday. “But we are concerned, of course, that these could be connected and that these could be targeted.”

Elected officials, at all levels of government, have faced increasing threats of violence in recent years. There were more than 9,000 threats recorded against members of Congress in 2022, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

In the most high-profile incident as of late, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, Paul Pelosi, was violently assaulted at the couple’s San Francisco home by an intruder. The man charged with the assault, 42-year-old David DePape, was reportedly searching for the former Speaker.