Santa Fe events canceled Sunday after officer-involved shooting, suspect in custody
Sep. 8—An unidentified man is in custody after a police-involved shooting caused a popular Santa Fe parade to be canceled on Sunday and people to lie on the floor while attending mass at Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
A New Mexico State Police social media post states the officers are OK, but the suspect was wounded during an incident involving the Santa Fe Police Department and Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Sunday morning.
Santa Fe Mayor's Office spokesperson Regina Ruiz told the Journal that the man crashed into barriers and vehicles, confronted police and then led them on a chase. She said shots were fired from police before he was arrested.
Sunday's incident was the second officer-involved shooting in Santa Fe in less than a week. On Wednesday night, a police officer was involved in a shooting with a suspected suicidal man in the area of Cerrillos Road by a Denny's restaurant. That case is also being investigated by State Police.
Santa Fe Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said Sunday morning's incident caused the Fiesta's de Santa Fe's Desfile de La Gente and all of Sunday's Santa Fe Plaza events to be canceled.
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber told the Journal the incident had nothing to do with the event. Instead, it involved a guy who "chose to risk other peoples lives using a vehicle."
The bad news is that one person "succeeded in shutting down our fiesta;" however, everyone at least was going home safe except for that person who is in custody, Webber said in a video social media post.
"It is unfortunate this incident put an end to our beautiful and peaceful celebration, a celebration of multicultural communities," Santa Fe City Councilor Lee Garcia said in an email. "I am grateful to (Santa Fe) Fiesta Council President Krystle Lucero for making the very difficult, but appropriate decision to cancel festivities. What is most important is the safety of our community."
Santa Fe City Councilor Carol Romero-Wirth called the incident "saddening" and "scary."
"I'm relieved to know the suspect is in custody," she said. "We all seek more information about what happened and why."
Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, told the Journal he was inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi when the shooting occurred.
He said there was suddenly a "great deal of commotion." Some people were shouting there was a shooting as others got under pews. People were shaking, parents were sheltering their children and others were lying on the floor.
Mieke Rotsaert, owner of Art is Gallery Santa Fe, told the Journal shortly after the incident she tried to calm customers down by telling them that "we'll all be OK."
"It's unfortunate that had to happen," she said.
In a statement, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham thanked law enforcement for their "swift and effective response."
"I condemn violence on the streets of Santa Fe, or anywhere else in our state or nation, in the strongest possible terms," she said.
Webber said while the incident forced the parade and other events to be canceled, next year's Fiesta de Santa Fe will be "even better."
