Charge refiled against Baca in protest shooting (ABQ NM counter-protester shot in self defense)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | July 13, 2020 | Elise Kaplan

[CedarDave]

Almost a month ago, Steven Ray Baca was arrested and charged in the shooting of a demonstrator at a protest calling for the removal of the Juan De Oñate statue from the Albuquerque Museum grounds. Then, a couple of days later, the charges were dropped pending further investigation.

That investigation has happened and 31-year-old Baca is once again charged in the shooting of Scott Williams, who was critically injured. Baca’s attorney, meanwhile, maintains the shooting was a “completely lawful exercise of self-defense.”

Second Judicial District Attorney Raúl Torrez announced his decision to resurrect the shooting charge at a news conference Monday afternoon. He also announced his office has filed a civil suit asking a judge to prohibit the New Mexico Civil Guard, a heavily armed civilian militia group, from “organizing and operating in public as a military unit independent of New Mexico’s civil authority” and from “assuming law enforcement functions by using or projecting the ability to use organized force in response to perceived threats at protests, demonstrations, or public gatherings.”

On Monday, Torrez announced his office had amended the charging document once again, and Baca is again charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. One of the battery charges has been dropped.

Torrez said the investigation, which included interviews with Williams, other protesters, and the review of multiple videos, determined that Baca had been engaged in violent confrontations with other protesters for 20-30 minutes, leading the demonstrators to repeatedly try to push him out of the crowd.

“Any individual who would otherwise be able to claim self-defense cannot claim self-defense if he or she initiates a violent confrontation,” Torrez said. “It’s our belief that Baca was the first aggressor in this context and that the individual that he shot was acting in response to his violent provocation.”

[CedarDave]

As in St. Louis, the district attorney is a Soros-paid for DA.

“Any individual who would otherwise be able to claim self-defense cannot claim self-defense if he or she initiates a violent confrontation,” Torrez said. “It’s our belief that Mr. Baca was the first aggressor in this context and that the individual that he shot was acting in response to his violent provocation.”

This is bovine excrement! Baca's pushing a protester is in no way proportionate what the Antifa mob was doing when they first attacked him with the skateboard (the weapon of choice for Antifa) and then chasing him down the street yelling they were going to kill him. The so-called attempt to knock the gun out of Baca's hand, if successful, would have led to Baca's being beaten if no killed by the Antifa member and his buddies who were chasing after him too.

[CedarDave]

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[Gene Eric]

The Marxist DAs are serving Satan.

[Fido969]

Did skateboard idiot get charged with assault?

[The Toll]

If you are forced to shoot a jogger you better be ready to shoot the Sheriff. They will come for you, no matter how deep red your area is.

[SunkenCiv]

Sounds like a new Second Judicial District Attorney.

[Tejas Rob]

>>If you are forced to shoot a jogger you better be ready to shoot the Sheriff. They will come for you, no matter how deep red your area is.<<

I’ve been trying to tell fellow Conservatives to not be fooled, the police are not our ally. They will obey their master’s orders and we are not their masters. Same goes for the military.

[Seruzawa]

“Raul Torres”. Says it all. Commie pig.

[IYAS9YAS]

No mention of the aggravated battery with a deadly weapon done by the female with the brick in the bag she is holding and hit him with. A brick that is very clearly outlined in the pic in post 1.

[marktwain]

“Any individual who would otherwise be able to claim self-defense cannot claim self-defense if he or she initiates a violent confrontation,” Torrez said.

That is a false statement.

Even people who are initators, if they clearly break off the engagement, and attempt to retreat, regain their ability to legitimately use force in self defense.

Baca was clearly retreating and attempting to break off the engagement.

In any case, the force used against him was clearly disproportionate to the force he used in the previous scuffle.

[DesertRhino]

filed a civil suit asking a judge to prohibit the New Mexico Civil Guard, a heavily armed civilian militia group, from “organizing and operating in public as a military unit independent of New Mexico’s civil authority” and from “assuming law enforcement functions by using or projecting the ability to use organized force in response to perceived threats at protests, demonstrations, or public gatherings.”

Ok, so that name is defunct. Howzabout the friends who hate assholes club?

[DesertRhino]

Not to mention, THEY attacked him first. He made numerous attempts to leave and they pursued him.

[Spktyr]

The big lesson here? Have your OWN camera rolling at all times when intentionally going out in riot zones or defending against Antifa Et Al.

[TexasGator]

““Any individual who would otherwise be able to claim self-defense cannot claim self-defense if he or she initiates a violent confrontation,””

If you withdraw from the confrontation, the clock is reset. The DA is obviously biased.

[rockrr]

Torrez proves the old adage about leaving no witnesses...

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Not Guilty.

[fella]

That’s a knife in Scott Williams’ hand that skateboard saved Baca from being stabbed.

Notice that the “Peaceful Protesters” immediately started shouting “He Hit “em first. He hit “em first”.

[CedarDave]

That’s a knife in Scott Williams’ hand that skateboard saved Baca from being stabbed.

Not according to the DA. From the ABQ Journal article:

“There had been several weeks ago some discussion about whether or not this individual, Mr. Williams, was armed with a knife or some other instrument in his hands,” Torrez said. “We can clearly rule out a knife. We can see in multiple images that it is actually a pair of eyeglasses that this person took off after Mr. Baca started deploying the chemical spray. He also had a vape pen in his other hand.”

[FreedomPoster]

Besides that, he arguably did the initial push in an effort to get away from the mob that was encircling him.

[Charles Martel]

I’ve seen the vape pen explanation, but it strikes me as an odd thing to be holding in a threatening manner during a street fight. Also, Antifa has come up with some clever ersatz weapons, so I’d like to see a close up of the “vape pen”.