1967 NM courthouse raid shooter dies
Posted at: 08/28/2012 12:04 PM
By: RUSSELL CONTRERAS Associated Press
CANJILON, N.M. (AP) - Juan Valdez, a land grant activist who fired the first shot during a 1967 New Mexico courthouse raid that grabbed international attention and helped spark the Chicano Movement, has died.
His daughter Juanita Montoya says the 74-year-old died peacefully Saturday at his ranch in Canjilon, N.M.
The northern New Mexico activist was 29-year-old when he and a group of land grant advocates raided a Rio Arriba County courthouse in Tierra Amarilla, N.M. to attempt a citizen's arrest of then-District Attorney Alfonso Sanchez over Hispanic land rights issues.
It was Valdez who shot and wounded a state police officer.
The raiders, led by Reies Lopez Tijerina, also beat a deputy and took a sheriff and reporter hostage. Valdez was convicted of assault but was later pardoned by Gov. Bruce King.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 |
Tweet |
|
