1991 Chimayo shootings

1991 Chimayo shootings
Location	Chimayo, New Mexico, U.S.
Date	January 26, 1991
Attack type	Mass murder, spree killing, Home invasion
Weapon	7mm Magnum rifle .38-caliber revolver .357 Magnum revolver
Deaths	7
Injured	1
Perpetrator	Ricky Abeyta

On January 26, 1991, 7 people were killed in a shooting rampage throughout the town of Chimayo, New Mexico, including a baby.

A 28-year-old man, Ricky Abeyta, was sentenced in December 1991 to 146 years imprisonment for the crimes. It is the deadliest mass murder in New Mexican history. The shooter's girlfriend moving out angered the shooter, who prompted him to open fire in the trailer park he was living in. He was found in Albuquerque by police, where he would later surrender.

A sheriff's deputy was killed in the rampage.

Shooting

On January 26, 1991, at about 2:11 p.m., Rio Arriba County Deputy Jerry Martinez arrived at the Ricky Abeyta residence in Chimayo, New Mexico, with a restraining order filed by Abeyta's live-in girlfriend, Ignacita Sandoval-Vasquez.

At 3:52 p.m., Deputy Martinez left the Abeyta residence when the owner of a stolen pickup advised him he had located his truck in a nearby arroyo. Subsequent investigation revealed that after Deputy Martinez left the residence, Abeyta approached the residence with a 7mm Magnum rifle and a .357 Magnum handgun. Abeyta was heard to yell "¡Con pagan, jodidas!" (With this you will pay!).

He first shot Macario Gonzales, who was a boyfriend to Ignacita's daughter, in the back with the 7mm rifle while Macario was standing in the back of a U-Haul moving van.

Thirteen year-old Eloy Sandoval started running away and was shot by Abeyta in the upper chest. Eloy fell and was shot again in the buttocks with the .357 magnum. Ignacita's daughter, Mary Ellen, was shot in the back of the head with the .357 handgun as she reached the front steps of the residence.

Mary Ellen was holding her five month-old son, Justin, who fell from his dead mother's arms and rolled under a pick-up. Abeyta then shot Justin in the side of the head with the handgun.

Abeyta entered the mobile home where he shot Cheryl Rendon, Ignacita's sister, in the back of the neck. Abeyta then shot Ignacita in the left jaw with the .357 magnum.

Officer Glen Huber, along with two other state police officers and Deputy Martinez, were at the scene of the stolen pickup when Deputy Martinez turned the investigation over to the state police and returned to the Abeyta residence.

Witness statements indicated that Deputy Martinez, unaware of the slayings, returned to the scene and was confronted by Abeyta. Abeyta was standing near the left front fender of the police car and Deputy Martinez was standing behind the front left door.

Abeyta was heard telling Deputy Martinez to turn off his police radio. A witness stated he observed Abeyta lean over and fire a shot at Deputy Martinez as he leaned into his police unit.

Deputy Martinez was shot twice in the left side of the head. The witness stated he took the officer's service revolver away from Abeyta's sister, who was trying to make it operate. The witness then threw the weapon up on the garage roof.

The Rio Arriba County Sheriff's office began receiving phone calls, reporting shots fired and two men down. Officer Huber was dispatched to the scene with other backup officers on the way.

Officer Glen Huber arrived at 4:27 p.m. and stopped what he probably thought was a tactically safe distance from the residence to assess the situation. While hiding behind trees and shrubbery, Abeyta ambushed Officer Huber from a distance of about 200 feet with the 7mm rifle, while the officer sat in his patrol unit with his radio microphone in his hand. The bullet struck Officer Huber in the left side of the face, killing him instantly.

As State Police Officer Chris Valdez arrived at the scene, Eloy and another witness told him that two officers had been shot.

As backup officers arrived, Abeyta made his escape and remained in hiding.

As Abeyta cowered in hiding, he became worried that officers would choose to kill him rather than take him into custody if they found him. After a few days of hiding, Abeyta, accompanied by members of his family, turned himself in at the state police office in Albuquerque.