Prosecutors drop murder charge against Rio Rancho man in Red River shooting

Prosecutors in Taos County have dismissed charges — at least for now — against the lone man facing a murder charge in connection with a deadly shooting at a motorcycle rally in Red River that left three men dead and five injured.

Cosme Ripol, a deputy district attorney with the Eighth Judicial District, filed the paperwork in the case against Jacob Castillo, 30, of Rio Rancho, on Monday evening. Ripol said in the brief motion that he was dismissing the charges without prejudice because the investigation is ongoing. Charges can be refiled.

“We anticipate knowing much more as this investigation continues,” District Attorney Marcus Montoya said in a prepared statement. “And after the evidence is gathered and assessed, we will bring appropriate criminal charges against all identified suspects that the evidence supports.”

Castillo’s attorney declined to comment on Tuesday.

Castillo, who police said was member of a New Mexico motorcycle club called the Waterdogs, was part of a group of bikers who got into a fight on the streets of Red River just prior to the shooting.

In a criminal complaint filed in Taos Magistrate Court, an investigator says that Castillo said he was attacked by Damian Breaux, a member of the Bandidos motorcycle club, and then several other Bandidos. The Bandidos were in a feud with the Waterdogs because of a photograph a member of the club took with a member of the Mongols motorcycle club, which is a rival to the Bandidos.

Castillo told police that he returned fire after he was shot at. He was shot in the shoulder and hospitalized, according to court documents.

Breaux, 46, was killed in the shootout. A funeral was held for Breaux in Socorro on Saturday. The event led several bars to close for a short time because of concerns about the number of Bandidos the funeral was going to draw.

Anthony Silva, 26, of Los Lunas, and Randy Sanchez, 46, of Albuquerque, were also killed in the shooting.

City officials in Red River and two other cities in New Mexico have canceled future motorcycle rallies.