Annual Santa Fe Fiesta celebrations on the Plaza turned into a panicked rush for shelter Sunday morning after gunfire rang out, an SUV barreled through closed-off streets and people rushed for cover.
Police shot at a stolen white Jeep Grand Cherokee on four occasions, as driver Justin Jimenez, 21, drove from one side of the Plaza to the other, through barricades intended to close the roads for the festivities.
According to a statement from New Mexico State Police, the car eventually came to a halt near Canyon Road, when the suspect was arrested and treated for injuries.
By early afternoon, when the colorful parade known as the Desfile de la Gente should have been winding through downtown, the Plaza was surrounded by yellow tape and tourists were being turned away from what they were told was an active crime scene.
Marianne Griego described the scene earlier in the day as she worked in the store Malouf on the Plaza.
"It was bustling," she said. "There were lots of people on the plaza, lots of families."
Earlier in the day, a procession had carried the historic figurine of the Virgin Mary known as La Conquistadora from the Palace of the Governors to the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, and floats for the parade were convening a few streets away near the De Vargas mall.
Then, shots rang out
"It was loud because it echoed throughout the Plaza," said Griego. "It was this complete mayhem. People were just running and screaming in the streets and trying to seek shelter."
Malouf sheltered around a dozen people, including crying children, in a back room of the store. David Lowry, who works at Maverick's, also on the Plaza, did the same.
"I was walking out of Maverick's to get a chicharrón burrito," he said. "And I hear pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Then a lot of people were running in here and taking refuge. We got them covered in the back."
Santa Fe Fiesta Council President Krystle Lucero told KUNM she was in the cathedral for a special mass, and Indigenous dancers were performing a blessing, when she became aware of a commotion.
People rushed into the cathedral seeking shelter, and she heard a shout of "down, shooter". The congregation initially lay down between pews, before being ushered to the back of the building by cathedral staff.
State police said the vehicle had been stolen at 2 a.m. that morning. Police had attempted to stop it twice on Sunday morning, but the driver fled, and on both occasions officers did not pursue it. After the second attempted stop, the driver drove through barriers near Sheridan Street, close to the Plaza. State police are investigating the incident as an officer-involved-shooting.
The parade and all remaining Fiesta events, including a candlelight procession, were canceled. The Santa Fe Fiesta Council issued a statement saying that, "an unfortunate shooting occurred at the apex of the Plaza" and that the cancellations had been made in the "best interest of public safety." No other injuries were reported.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement, "I condemn violence on the streets of Santa Fe, or anywhere else in our state or nation, in the strongest possible terms."
