Man charged in Oñate protest shooting appears in court

ESPAÑOLA, N.M. — The suspect accused of shooting a man during a protest over a Juan de Oñate statue last week made a brief appearance in court Monday. Ryan Martinez appeared virtually from the Rio Arriba County Detention Center.

Prosecutors filed paperwork showing they want him held in jail until trial. The case is moving to district court, and at a later date, a judge will decide if he gets out.

The recently filed documents show how prosecutors will try and prove Martinez poses a danger to the community. They claim Martinez admitted to the shooting, and it also reveals he was the focus of a federal investigation due to some threatening tweets toward the federal government in 2020.