Santa Fe Fiesta abruptly ended by carjacking, police shootings

The iconic Santa Fe Plaza was lined with crime scene tape and patrolled by police in body armor after a carjacking and a series of police shootings on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (Photo by Austin Fisher / Source NM)

One day after a carjacking followed by a series of police shootings abruptly ended a popular New Mexico cultural celebration, local officials say there’s no indication the violence was directly connected to the controversial event.

Santa Fe Police and at least one Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputy shot at Justin Jimenez, 21, after he allegedly stole a 2015 white Jeep Grand Cherokee and recklessly drove it through downtown Santa Fe on Sunday morning as thousands were gathered for 2024 La Fiesta de Santa Fe.

State and local elected officials weighed in during and after the incident occurred, however, Jimenez has not stated any specific motivations for what led up to the violence. Court records show that he lives not far from where the incident took place.

The Santa Fe Police Department alleges when police officers approached Jimenez, he tried to hit them with the vehicle. Several fired their weapons at him, but it is unclear at this time how many.

As police chased Jimenez, Santa Fe police and a sheriff’s deputy fired at him four different times at four separate locations, according to New Mexico State Police.

The State Police are investigating the local police shootings.  They will gather facts and pass on their findings to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, who will decide whether the police shootings were justified, according to a news release .

Eight Santa Fe Police officers and one Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputy are on administrative leave while the New Mexico State Police investigate the shootings, according to spokespeople for the two local police departments.

Jimenez was treated at a local hospital, medically cleared for incarceration, and booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center on Monday morning, according to a Santa Fe police news release . It is unclear how exactly Jimenez was hurt or whether he was hurt by police.

Santa Fe police are charging Jimenez with 11 crimes, including four separate felony counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer using the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint filed in the local magistrate court on Monday.

Santa Fe police, mayor deny political motive

Partygoers on the Santa Fe Plaza panicked and rushed for shelter inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, where Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) wrote on social media that he was attending Mass.

Ten minutes later, at 10:59 a.m., Cervantes wrote , “It’s now all hugs and tears though many remain sheltered in place concerned with reports the shooting is political in Santa Fe.”

Santa Fe Police Department Deputy Chief of Police Ben Valdez said Monday that Jimenez did not have any political motivations for his actions during the Fiesta.

“At this time, we do not have any information to support that the offender’s motive was political for the incident,” Valdez said.

Emails and messages seeking an interview with Cervantes about his experience were not returned as of Monday afternoon.

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said he does not believe the incident had anything directly to do with the Fiesta.

“I believe — and I can’t prove it — but I believe that this incident actually had nothing to do with Fiesta,” Webber said. “I don’t think it was aimed at Fiesta. I think we had an individual just acting in a lawless manner that happened to be at a time when we were all getting ready to gather for a celebration.”

Recolonization celebration ends with violence

Fiestas in Santa Fe and elsewhere in New Mexico are flashpoints for social and political conflict over what it means to be a New Mexican. For example, protesters in Fall 2020 tore down the Soldier’s Monument on the Plaza, less than a block away from where the stolen Jeep broke down on Sunday.

About an hour after the incident, Santa Fe police announced they had captured Jimenez and he hadn’t hurt any police.

No members of the public were hurt, according to a statement by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The parade and all other Fiesta events slated for Sunday were canceled, though by midday many members of the public who were unaware of the shootings were still trying to find the parade route.

“It makes it more painful,” Webber said. “You don’t like to see your traditional celebrations interrupted by somebody acting in a lawless manner.”

The governor’s office issued a statement thanking police for a “swift and effective response,” saying the incident “reenforces need for public safety reforms,” but did not specify which ones.

“I condemn violence on the streets of Santa Fe, or anywhere else in our state or nation, in the strongest possible terms,” Lujan Grisham said.

The neighborhood is represented in part by Santa Fe Councilor Alma Castro, who indirectly responded to the governor’s statement in a post on Instagram.

“The calls for further criminalization and division of our communities will not solve Santa Fe’s problems,” Castro wrote. “Today, more than ever, we must act from a place of love and compassion.”

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