Isaiah Martinez held without bond in downtown Albuquerque shooting
A judge ordered 18-year-old Isaiah Martinez held without bond pending trial for a downtown Albuquerque shooting that left a man critically injured.
Isaiah Martinez will remain in custody pending trial for a downtown Albuquerque shooting, a judge ruled Friday. Prosecutors argued that the eighteen-year-old poses a substantial danger to the public.
Second Judicial District Judge Emeterio Rudolfo ordered Martinez held without bond at the Metropolitan Detention Center. He made the decision following a contested pretrial detention hearing.
Prosecutors argued no release conditions could ensure community safety. Judge Rudolfo agreed with their arguments.
The case began early Sunday morning. The Albuquerque Police Department received an automated alert from the ShotSpotter acoustic gunfire-detection system. The network detected 17 gunshots near Central Avenue and 8th Street NW.
Patrol officers responded to the downtown corridor. Officers found an adult male with severe gunshot wounds. Emergency medical workers took the victim to a local trauma center. He remained in critical condition.
The shooting stemmed from an escalating confrontation, court documents show. Police said Martinez and 18-year-old Matthew Akugue argued with the victim on the street.
Detectives allege the pair walked away and got into a vehicle. They drove directly toward the man at the roundabout near Central and 8th Street. Martinez allegedly fired multiple rounds at close range. The vehicle then sped away.
Albuquerque police later found and arrested both Martinez and Akugue. Formal indictments and trial preparations will proceed through the Second Judicial District Court.
Pretrial detention hearings determine whether a defendant stays in jail before trial. Judges assess community safety risks during these hearings.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
