A man was shot Thursday in Espanola, New Mexico during a protest over the reinstallation of a statute of the conquistador Juan de Onate, who massacred and enslaved the Acoma Indigenous people in 1599. Juan de Onate was eventually charged with using “excessive force” against the Acoma people.

According to the New Mexico State Police and local authorities, there was an altercation, leading to the shooting of the victim, though they did not specify the nature of the altercation. The authorities went on to state that the status of the victim of the shooting is not currently known, but he has been taken to a hospital where he is receiving medical care.

JURIST watched an eyewitness video taken during the incident which shows a man in a “Make America Great Again” hat, with a group holding him and taking the hat, at which point he pulls out a gun and fires. Out of respect to the family of the victim, the video has not been included in this story. The man in the video has allegedly been identified as Ryan Martinez of Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to statements made by the Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield to CNN.

The incident occurred at a protest against the rededication of the Espanola Onate statue. The statue was originally removed in 2020. The Rio Arriba County Commissioners then decided to reinstall the statue at the Rio Arriba County Annex building, where the protest and shooting took place. Law enforcement alleged in a press conference, that they alerted the county commissioners to the risk of violence during the rededication ceremony and protests. In response, two of the commissioners postponed the rededication. However, protests still continued as planned.

The Rio Arriba County Office of the County Manager released a statement, saying:

The County of Rio Arriba is truly disappointed, saddened, and concerned with the tragic event that took place today at the Rio Arriba County Annex Building. The County made its stance clear yesterday when it stated the County supports and respects people’s right to peacefully assemble under the First Amendment, in addition to reminding members of the public that the First Amendment PROTECTS the right to engage in speech and to associate with others who share their views.

Onate is a controversial figure, who was chosen by the Spanish crown to enforce the food tax on the native people of New Mexico in 1599. The Acoma people refused to pay the tax, leading to an incident in which 13 Spaniards were killed, including a relative of Onate. In retaliation, Onate ordered the Acoma peoples’ village destroyed, leaving only 200 survivors out of the village population of over 2,000. Later, Onate was charged with “excessive force” against the Acoma in Mexico City, leading to his banishment from New Mexico and temporary exile from Mexico City.

Statues have become a point of controversy in recent years in the US with statues of military leaders of the Confederacy during the US Civil War and statues of early colonial and American leaders who owned slaves becoming a flashpoint. In 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, during the “Unite the Right Rally” to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a man drove his car into a group of counter-protestors, injuring dozens and killing one. The removal of controversial statues across the US has been challenged legally with mixed results in Texas, Tennessee and Louisiana.