Security guard fires a pellet gun at a man
A security guard for Southwest Jewelers Supply & Pawn was arrested after he allegedly shot at a man with a pellet gun.
On Sept. 4, around 4:30 pm, Gallup Police Officers Aaron Marquez and Julio Yazzie were dispatched to the business at 828 E. Historic Hwy. 66 after the store’s security guard, who was later identified as Jordan Morgan Hengel, called and said that someone was throwing rocks at him and his dog.
When Yazzie and Marquez arrived at the scene Hengel, 33, pointed out a man who was walking east of the business. Marquez went to speak to the man, and according to his police report, he noticed the man was bleeding from the face.
The man told Marquez that he’d been sitting outside of Southwest Jewelers Supply & Pawn. He said he wasn’t on the property, but rather on the sidewalk. Suddenly, a store employee wearing a green shirt reportedly started yelling at him, telling him and the other people he was with to leave.
The man reportedly told the employee that his group would leave, and that’s when Hengel became conformational, saying “what the f*** did you say to me?”
The victim said he repeated himself, and he and his group began to leave. But while they were leaving, Hengel allegedly pulled out a black pellet gun.
Hengel reportedly began shooting at the victim multiple times while he was trying to walk away. The victim said he was shot three or four times in the face and back. In his report Marque noted that the man was bleeding from his top lip and he had indentations on his body that were consistent with a pellet gun.
The victim said he had thought Hengel had a real gun, and that he was scared for his life.
While Marquez was talking to the alleged victim, Yazzie spoke to Hengel. Hengel initially said he didn’t own a pellet gun. He claimed that he only had a real gun, and said it wasn’t used during the situation.
Hengel once again said that the man had been throwing rocks at him and his dog.
Meanwhile, the victim said he never tried to defend himself, nor did he throw any rocks.
Eventually, Hengel confessed that he did have a pellet gun. According to Marquez’s report, Hengel admitted that he “might have escalated the situation.”
Hengel told the officers that he’d given the pellet gun to a friend who took it to his house to remove it from the scene. The pellet gun was eventually returned to Southwest Jewelers Supply & Pawn.
Hengel was transported to the McKinley County Adult Detention Center, where he was charged with aggravated battery and tampering with evidence. His preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 13.
Staff Reports
