US police have detained individuals involved in Albuquerque protest shooting, one person shot

Albuquerque police detain members of the New Mexico Civil Guard, an armed civilian group, following the shooting of a man during a protest over a statue of Spanish conquerer Juan de Oñate on Monday, June 15, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Adolphe Pierre-Louis/The Albuquerque Journal/AP. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

ALBUQUERQUE, Jun 16, 2020, CNN. The Albuquerque police and its emergency response team have detained “individuals” after a person was shot during a protest in Albuquerque’s Old Town, the police said, CNN reported.

A man has been shot at a protest event near the Albuquerque National History Museum, according to Albuquerque Police Director of Communications, Gilbert Gallegos. The man has been transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital and his condition is unknown at this time.

“Police used chemical irritants and flash bangs to protect officers and detain individuals involved in the shooting. The individuals were disarmed and taken into custody for questioning. At this time, additional police teams have been deployed to ensure all officers can safely end the situation. APD investigators are also on standby. We will release additional information as it becomes available,” according to the Albuquerque Police Department in a news release.

Police say the shooting victim is in critical but stable condition.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the shooting “was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city.”

The protest took place near the Albuquerque National History Museum and the city’s police chief said he believes vigilante groups could have helped to instigate the violence.

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

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham statement on Twitter, “The heavily-armed individuals who flaunted themselves at the protest, calling themselves a ‘civil guard’ were there for one reason: To menace protesters, to present an unsanctioned show of unregulated force.”

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