Armed homeowner in New Mexico confronts alleged intruder who broke in before 4 a.m. It doesn't end well for uninvited guest.



A homeowner in New Mexico fatally shot an alleged intruder who broke into a residence early Tuesday morning, Bernalillo County deputies told KOB-TV.

The station said deputies responded to a call around 3:45 a.m. about an intruder at a home near Lost Horizon Drive on the West Mesa, the station said. The area is part of Albuquerque.

'That’s why we have our 2nd Amendment!!!'

The homeowner reported shooting the intruder, the sheriff's office told KOB.

Arriving deputies found the alleged intruder critically injured and tried life-saving measures on the individual, the station said.

Medics took the suspect to a hospital, but the suspect died, KOB reported.

Sheriff's office detectives who work on violent crimes and homicides are investigating the incident, the station said.

How are observers reacting?

Plenty of people are reacting to KOB's story on the station's Facebook page. Here's a sampling of what they had to say:

  • "Unfortunately we have to protect our own because by the time police show up — if they show up — it's too late," one commenter wrote. "We all work hard for our things and need [to] protect our families. When [suspects are] arrested, they're just let right back out to do it all over again..."
  • "This is great news! More criminals need this fate!" another user concluded.
  • "This was totally warranted!" another commenter said. "Good job protecting yourself, family, & your home! There needs to be ... repercussions for the outrageous amount of crime in this city."
  • "Good job!!!" another commenter exclaimed. "That’s why we have our 2nd Amendment!!!"
  • "Good," another commenter noted before adding, "Tired of this crap. When [they're] in your home, you gotta protect it. I stand for the homeowner. Job well done."
  • "Finally some good news today," another user stated before adding, "Great job on protecting your family and what’s yours. Sends a perfect message to thieves; [we've] had enough of their BS."

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Alleged home intruder brings knife to gunfight with disabled Vietnam veteran and pays the ultimate price



A disabled Vietnam veteran said he grabbed his gun after waking up Monday morning to find a male intruder armed with a knife breaking into his bedroom at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Danny Ricketts told KOB-TV he retrieved the gun from his nightstand, shot the alleged intruder, and then called police.

'I looked at the window, and I didn’t see any blood, and I didn’t see any bodies. So I thought I missed initially, and I was kind of grateful at that.'

“I could see it was a knife sticking under the window, sort of wiggling back and forth, and the window was coming up,” Ricketts said about the incident.

Ricketts added that he keeps a gun nearby because he suffers from PTSD. He's an amputee and uses a wheelchair.

“I keep a pistol on my nightstand under a hat. I reached and got it and I said, I still don’t know quite what I said, ‘What the f*** you doing, get the hell away from here’ something like that,” he recalled.

He said he fired one shot, and the suspect ran off. Ricketts initially believed he missed.

“I looked at the window, and I didn’t see any blood, and I didn’t see any bodies. So I thought I missed initially, and I was kind of grateful at that,” he added.

Surveillance video from a neighbor's camera caught the suspect running away. Police said they found the suspect with a gunshot wound in the street, and he died later at a hospital.

Albuquerque Police Spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said they believe Ricketts acted in self-defense but the investigation is ongoing.

“Sounds like this gentleman the other day he called police, he secured his firearm, I believe, he told them exactly what happened,” Gallegos added before warning people against following suspects because the law doesn't protect them in some cases.

“We’ve seen instances, too, where people may have felt a fear but ... then they go chasing the individual, and continue to shoot at them. That’s where it really gets pretty questionable as to whether you’re defending your life at that point,” he explained. “You can protect yourself if there’s a fear of harm or protect somebody else. You can’t protect your property by using deadly force.”

The district attorney's office will determine whether Ricketts will face charges.

KOB published an interview with Ricketts on the station's YouTube video channel.

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Grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shoots auto theft suspect who broke into her home, cops say



A New Mexico grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shot an auto theft suspect who broke into her home Friday night.

What are the details?

Albuquerque police said they tried to pull over a stolen truck near Central and Cypress around 8 p.m. and used spike strips to flatten the tires, the Albuquerque Journal reported, citing a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Police told the paper the truck was “on its rims” and crashed into a curb near Candelaria and Rio Grande NW.

The driver ran into the neighborhood, and police made a perimeter to search the area, the Journal said.

A woman who was with her 4-year-old grandson told police she heard someone inside her home, the paper said, adding that she confronted the male who “appeared to be angry” and told her he “just needed her keys.”

The woman told police she thought about arming herself but “did not know if she had time to use the weapon” if the intruder also had a gun, the paper reported, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she took the intruder to a “bowl of keys” in the kitchen, and the male took several keys and left, the Journal reported.

Police said the woman told them she then grabbed a gun and took her grandchild into a bedroom — but she said she discovered the intruder back in her hallway “demanding more keys," the paper said.

With that, the woman told police she pointed the gun at the intruder and “told him to get out” — but he began approaching her instead, the Journal said, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she was scared “he would kill her or her grandchild,” and she shot him once, the paper reported.

The woman told police the intruder fell to the ground and began “crawling through the halls asking for water,” the Journal said, adding that the woman said she “put pressure on his wound until police arrived.”

The woman called 911 around 9:30 p.m., arriving officers detained the burglar — identified as 32-year-old Joseph Rivera — at the home, and the woman gave police the gun she used to shoot him, the paper said.

Police told the Journal that Rivera is charged with burglary, attempted burglary, and auto theft, and will be booked into jail after he's released from the hospital.

More from the paper:

Rivera is currently on pretrial release in a July 2023 case in which he was found in a stolen vehicle with fentanyl, cocaine and heroin on him, according to court records. At the time, Rivera told police that “his personal life and caring for his family has been incredibly difficult” as he struggled with undiagnosed mental health issues and addiction.

A warrant was issued in that case when he didn’t show up for a court hearing in October.

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New Mexico gov partially reverses gun ban, narrows scope to parks and playgrounds

'[The order] is amended to be focused now (on) ... public parks or playgrounds'

Dem sheriff gives New Mexico governor blunt reality check over 'unconstitutional' gun order: 'Criminals do not follow the law'



Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, a Democrat, exposed the inherent problems in a controversial order limiting some New Mexicans' Second Amendment rights.

Last week, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) unilaterally suspended open and concealed carry laws for 30 days in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County under the guise of "public health." But Allen said at a press conference on Monday that he will not enforce the anti-Second Amendment order because he takes his oath of office seriously.

"The temporary ban challenges the foundations of our Constitution, but most importantly, it is unconstitutional. My oath was to protect the Constitution, and that is what I will do," Allen promised.

The sheriff then explained the inherent problem with the order — an issue Lujan Grisham herself acknowledged.

"This order will not do anything to curb gun violence other than punish law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right to self-defense," Allen said. "I have a fact for you: criminals do not follow the law or a public-health order.

"We will never see criminals follow the law," he declared. "Once again: this only punished law-abiding citizens."

Bernalillo Co. Sheriff rejects New Mexico governor's gun ban through public health order www.youtube.com

To prove his point, Allen shared a personal story about his brother, who recently became a victim of gun violence.

"Last week, as I'm sitting here as the sitting sheriff, I get a phone call that my brother also was a victim of gun violence last week that many of you do not know," he disclosed. "He and my nephew were sitting in their car when they were shot at, and their vehicle was impacted by numerous rounds. How can I, as a sheriff, tell him to put his firearms away and not be able to protect himself?"

Allen did not shy away from Albuquerque's violent crime problem. But he said Lujan Grisham's order "overshadows" existing efforts to combat those issues.

Allen, moreover, revealed that Lujan Grisham gave law enforcement officials almost no advance notice of the order before announcing it. That decision left him with "irritation and anger," he admitted.

Despite the backlash, Lujan Grisham is defending the order. Her office also promised that protesters who openly violated the order over the weekend will face consequences.

"The order is being enforced, and citations will be forthcoming from the State Police," said Caroline Sweeny, a spokesperson for the governor. "To ensure officer safety, we will not be providing additional details at this time."

Allen joins Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman (D), Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller (D), and Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina in opposing the order.

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Want to know the REAL insurrection in New Mexico? Well, here it is



The governor of New Mexico isn’t winning the hearts of conservatives any time soon. Instead, she’s committing what Stu Burguiere believes to be the “real insurrection.”

On Friday, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a “public health emergency order” that suspends the right to bear arms in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County.

The order applies to concealed or open carry of firearms on public property and lasts 30 days but can be renewed. Police officers and security guards are the only exceptions.

“You might say, ‘Wait, wait, that’s absolutely unconstitutional.’ And you’d be right,” Stu comments.

The governor cited an increase in violent crimes as her reasoning but did not acknowledge that violent crimes does not mean gun crimes.

“So, if a lot of people are being stabbed, we’re not going to ban knives, we’re going to ban guns in that community,” Stu says.

It perhaps could not be more obvious that what the governor is doing is completely unconstitutional.

“The Second Amendment is an affirmative right,” Stu says. “It says what the government cannot do to squash that affirmative right. You have a right to own a firearm and defend yourself. You have a right to do that in this country. This has been litigated for hundreds of years. She 100% knows she’s doing something unconstitutional.”

When asked during a press conference if what she was doing wasn’t clearly unconstitutional, Grisham attempted to rationalize her decision.

“With one exception, and that is if there’s an emergency, and I’ve declared an emergency for a temporary amount of time. I can invoke additional powers. No constitutional right, in my view, including my oath, is intended to be absolute,” Grisham said.

Stu doesn’t believe her for a second.

“Now to be clear, she doesn’t believe anything she just said,” he says.

“She knows this is gonna get shot down in the courts. She knows this is a BS argument, but she’s trying to make it anyway.”

Stu believes that like other liberals, she’s simply “trying to manipulate public health initiatives to justify their unconstitutional actions.”


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New Mexicans Do The Most American Thing Ever To Defy Second Amendment Ban

Protestors Do The Most American Thing Ever To Defy Second Amendment Ban

Thanksgiving horror: Family members arrive at relatives' home for holiday gathering, discover husband had dismembered and disemboweled his wife, police say



Family members who arrived for a Thanksgiving gathering at the home of relatives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, discovered that a husband had dismembered and disemboweled his wife, police said, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

What are the details?

The home of Karlan and Connie Denio in the 10400 block of Vista Del Sol NW was locked and appeared empty when relatives arrived Thursday afternoon, the Journal said.

Relatives called 911 asking for police to do a welfare check when they couldn’t get inside the home, the paper said, citing a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. But dispatch told them police couldn’t force their way in, the Journal added.

With that, family members took the hinges off a door to get inside and then found Karlan Denio lying in bed and his wife, Connie, dismembered on the bedroom floor, the paper said.

Relatives told police Karlan Denio was diagnosed two years ago with frontotemporal dementia, which can cause dramatic personality changes, emotional withdrawal, and other mental health issues, the Journal said.

Denio, 62, has been charged with an open count of murder in the death of Connie Denio, the paper said, adding that it's unclear if he has an attorney. Denio was in a hospital recovering from cuts to his arm and neck, the Journal said, citing Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.

The family declined to comment Friday, the Journal reported.

What else do we know?

Police said relatives told them Connie Denio arranged for everyone to gather at her home around 1 p.m., the paper said, adding that family members said they last heard from her in a group chat “discussing plans for Thanksgiving.”

Karlan Denio’s brother, who came in from out of town, was the first to arrive at the home and called his sister when he couldn’t get in, the Journal said, citing the criminal complaint. The siblings knocked on all doors and windows and then took the hinges off a door to get in, the paper added.

Karlan Denio’s sister told police the home was dark, and she walked to the bedroom where she found her brother “lying on the bed” and Connie Denio on the floor, the Journal said.

“Karlan looked at her, at which point [she] backed out of the residence and called police again,” the paper reported, citing the criminal complaint.

Police said they found Denio's wife “dismembered and disemboweled” in the bedroom, the Journal said, adding that they detained Denio at the scene.

'I'm stunned'

“I’m stunned,” neighbor Rich Cordova told the paper Friday. “That is unbelievable.”

Cordova added to the Journal that he had lived next to the Denio family for two decades, and the pleasant couple often walked together and always waved hello. Cordova also told the paper the couple kept to themselves but were “nice folks” who had two grown children.

Bibles removed from Easter display at veterans medical center gift shop after atheist group objects to them



Bibles recently were removed from an Easter display at a New Mexico veterans medical center gift shop after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation — an atheist activist group — objected to them.

What are the details?

The MRFF noted Wednesday that it managed to convince leaders at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Administration Medical Center in Albuquerque to remove a display of Bibles and related Christian reading materials on "prominent display" in its Patriot Store facility on the first floor of the main medical building.

The MRFF said 10 employees and patients — seven of whom "identify as avid practitioners of the Christian faith" — complained and reached out to MRFF "for help regarding the unconstitutionality of that sectarian Christian literature display; especially as it was juxtaposed right next to an otherwise non-objectionable display of 'secular-ish' chocolate Easter bunnies, related holiday candy. and Easter bunny cutouts, et al."

According to MRFF, the displayed Bibles "completely violated the time, place, and manner restrictions of the VA’s own regulations as well as the No Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and its construing Federal caselaw."

The Bibles and other religious items were gone within 24 hours of the request, the MRFF added while praising the VA's quick actions.

Hold on a second

The American Center for Law & Justice caught wind of the issue and said it penned a legal letter — dated March 31 — to the interim director of the VA to "inform her that her decision, rather than upholding the Constitution, actually violated it" and "to demand that the display of Christian literature be returned forthwith to the gift shop."

The ACLJ insisted that the Constitution "requires the government to be neutral toward religion, to neither favor it nor inhibit it. By removing only the religious display while leaving the secular display of Easter bunnies, the government singled out religion for special detriment — which it may not lawfully do."

In addition, the ACLJ said "Easter is a time when many Christians exchange gifts. It makes sense for a gift shop to offer the type of items popular at Easter. Offering a religious product that visitors to your gift shop are looking for and wish to purchase — even in a gift shop in a federal facility like a VA Medical Center — does not mean that the government is either endorsing the message contained in the literature offered or favoring the faith group the literature reflects. To suggest otherwise is nonsense."

'Fighting Christian nationalism'

It isn't clear how or if the VA has responded to the ACLJ's demand to place the Bibles back on display in the gift shop. But the MRFF added on its website that the ACLJ is "constitutionally ignorant and religiously bigoted" and that the ACLJ's post about the controversy "repugnantly libels MRFF as 'anti-religion crusaders.'"

The MRFF added that it has "consistently – 24/7/365 – been at the forefront of fighting Christian nationalism in the military and our veterans' facilities."

As readers of TheBlaze are well aware, this is far from the first time the MRFF has raised objections of this sort:

New Mexico Gov. Defends ‘QAnon Lizard People’ Comment Because She Said It Nicely

New Mexico Gov. Defends ‘QAnon Lizard People’ Comment Because She Said It Nicely

New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham defended her remarks calling voters "QAnon lizard people" because she said it nicely.