Nov. 20—A man accused of shooting a Native American activist at a September protest in Española will remain in jail pending his trial, after the New Mexico Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed a pretrial detention order for him.
Ryan Martinez, 23, of Sandia Park faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving after the Sept. 28 incident at the Rio Arriba County complex.
Several Native American groups had been outside the county’s Española headquarters in a days-long protest against the reinstallation of a 30-year-old statue of conquistador Juan de Oñate. Martinez is accused of shooting and wounding Jacob Johns of Washington state after a scuffle with Johns and other protesters.
Martinez’s attorney had appealed an order from state District Court Judge Jason Lidyard earlier this month to keep him detained until his trial.
Martinez’s trial is scheduled to begin in May 2024.
Prosecutors are also seeking firearms and hate crime sentencing enhancements, which would add time to Martinez’s sentence if he is found guilty of the charges against him.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
