But the family’s trip was completely ruined that morning when, according to police, a man drove recklessly in a stolen car, killing four city police officers and at least one Santa Fe County deputy downtown.

“It was terrible,” said Araujo, who is from Santa Fe. “It was a nightmare.”

Around 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning, a driver began crashing into cars downtown and “led police on a chase,” Mayor Alan Webber said in an interview.

“He was arrested and is in custody,” Webber said of the suspect. “Unfortunately, he ruined everyone else’s day.”

The incident sparked a wave of excitement on social media as witnesses described a police chase after the suspect, who crashed near the intersection of East Palace Avenue and Canyon Road and was taken into custody.

The New Mexico State Police, which is investigating the police-involved shooting, said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that both the Santa Fe Police Department and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the shooting. The officers are OK, the state agency said, but the suspect was injured.

State Police Lt. Phil Vargas issued a news release late Sunday identifying the suspect as 21-year-old Justin Jimenez of Santa Fe.

Jimenez was suspected of driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was reported stolen around 2 a.m. Sunday. With the help of the Jeep’s owner, who had attached an AirTag to the vehicle, police later found the vehicle Sunday morning at a McDonald’s near the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Francis Drive, Vargas wrote in the release.

However, the driver eluded officers twice when they tried to stop him – first near the McDonald’s and later on Guadalupe Street, where preparations for the Fiesta parade were underway, Vargas wrote. Police did not initially pursue the vehicle.

Eventually, however, Vargas wrote, the suspect began driving recklessly downtown, breaking through barricades near Sheridan Avenue and ramming a portable toilet.

That sparked a series of four police-involved shootings, Vargas wrote: the first near Nusbaum Street, which runs between Otero Street and Washington Avenue; the second near Palace Avenue when the suspect ignored additional barriers; and two more before the vehicle came to a stop near East Palace Avenue and Canyon Road.

After his arrest, Jimenez was taken to a local hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” Vargas wrote in the press release.

“The investigation is ongoing and details are preliminary at this time,” he added.

State police are asking anyone with video or photos of the events surrounding the shooting to call the agency at 505-841-9256.

Police have not said whether Jimenez is suspected of being armed or firing shots during the incident, but social media accounts of business owners and other bystanders indicate that many witnesses believed the driver was armed.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that one of his deputies was involved in the incident, but had no further information about the incident. Deputies were stationed downtown to assist other law enforcement agencies with traffic control during the planned parade, he said.

Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Ben Valdez said late Sunday that his agency intends to release its own report on the incidents that led to the shooting.

“SFPD is working on the criminal investigation, which is separate from the officer-involved shooting investigation being conducted by the New Mexico State Police,” he wrote in an email. “We hope to provide an update in a press release later this evening with the identification of the suspect and the charges he faces.”

After hearing the gunshots, Araujo’s family fled in search of a safe place.

Most of the group sought shelter in the Paso de Luz shopping center on San Francisco Street, Araujo said. Her son and grandson ran into another store. And her husband, who had returned to the car to get chairs, hid near La Fonda in the plaza.

“We just heard the gunshots and people screaming and we started running,” she recalled. “We couldn’t find each other or anything. It was terrible.”

The incident occurred as the 9:00 a.m. mass at the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi concluded with a buffalo dance by indigenous dancers.

The event, known as the Fiesta Mass, was attended by members of the Royal Court and the Fiesta Council of the Fiesta de Santa Fe.

Churchgoers reported that a crowd of people streamed into the cathedral seeking shelter, causing those attending mass to duck under the pews or run to their cars amid the commotion.

State Senator Joe Cervantes said in a social media post that worshipers “jumped under the pews” during the incident.

“Now there are only hugs and tears, although many are still staying home because they are concerned about the reports that the shooting in Santa Fe has a political background,” Cervantes wrote on X.

Ramsay de Give stood directly in front of the cathedral on Sunday morning.

De Give, a freelance photojournalist, had planned to document the ceremonial procession that morning when he heard “a whole series of shots” – very loud and very close.

Then he saw a white SUV speeding down East Palace Avenue toward Paseo de Peralta.

“I have never seen a car go so fast on Palace Street. He was really accelerating,” said de Give.

The vehicle eventually crashed near Canyon Road and came to a stop about 40 feet from the entrance to the teahouse, said Monica Walsh, the restaurant’s manager.

“Everyone heard the crash,” Walsh said.

Shortly after the incident, the plaza was closed to pedestrians and several police departments arrived on the scene.

City Councilman Michael Garcia said he was on his way to the plaza when a family member who witnessed the incident warned him to stay away from the area. He said he continued downtown to make sure the situation was under control and the public was safe.

“This is just a deeply sad way to end this weekend,” he said. “It’s hard. It’s very, very hard.”

Around noon, the Santa Fe Fiesta City Council released a statement praising the police’s quick response to the incident and announcing that all further Fiesta events had been canceled after “an unfortunate shooting occurred at the height of the Plaza.”

“While this is a heartbreaking decision for everyone involved in the Fiesta, we are incredibly grateful that no one was injured in this incident,” the statement said.

The Fiesta Council called on everyone to “remain calm and united.”

“We are a resilient and caring community and together we will emerge stronger from this situation,” Fiesta Council President Krystle Lucero said in the statement.

After news arrived that the remaining Fiesta festivities would have to be canceled, vendors in the Governor’s Palace and the Plaza began dismantling their stalls and leaving the area.

As she packed up her goods on Sunday, Fiesta vendor Sarah Guzman described a chaotic scene in the plaza when the morning’s calm was interrupted by gunfire.

“We just heard gunshots, so everyone panicked and ran,” she said. “Everyone on the street started running, and they told everyone to take cover and go into the buildings. I crouched under my table and hid there.”

Guzman said she was terrified.

“I’ve never been so scared,” she said. “We thought someone was going to shoot us in the plaza, so everyone got scared and panicked.”

Guzman, the owner of The Pink Giraffe of Santa Fe in the Santa Fe Arcade on the Plaza, said the decision to cancel the rest of the Fiesta would be difficult for merchants, especially those who travel long distances. She and her husband only do three shows a year, Guzman added, and the Fiesta was their last.

“We were looking forward to today, but I’d rather play it safe,” she said.

At 1:30 p.m., Araujo and her family were safe – and reunited.

After initially dispersing, the family reunited at her home, she said, “to thank God for each of us and to comfort one another.” While the incident was frightening, it reinforced the family’s love and commitment to one another.

“At the end of the day, we are all really here for each other,” she said.

Still, the incident – ​​which came after a summer of violent outbreaks and societal debates about public safety – fueled Araujo’s concerns about her hometown.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said. “We’re too small a town to allow something like this to happen.”