Staff Reports

According to a statement released by New Mexico State Police Public Information Officer Carl Christiansen, passengers Janice Miller, 20, and Jennifer Johnson, 43, both of Iyanbito, were ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The remaining occupants were taken to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. Their conditions are unknown at this time.

The the Ford truck, driven King, had overturned multiple times, ejecting all five occupants near mile post 27 on State Highway 118. State Police arrived at the scene at 12:15 pm. New Mexico State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit was called to the scene to process all evidence associated with the crash investigation, Christiansen stated.

In addition to facing DWI-related double homicide charges, King was charged with three counts of abuse of a child resulting in great bodily harm, and additional traffic violations.

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent

Two Cibola County men were jailed April 28 in connection to a drug bust in the Village of Milan, officials said.

Joseph Torrez and George Gallegos were taken into custody at the Cibola County Corrections Center on various felony charges. The charges ranged from drugs to weapons violations.

Village of Milan Police Chief Pat Salazar said at about 6 am Friday that officers from the Milan and Grants police departments and the Cibola County Sheriff's Office raided the San Jose Street residence of Torrez and came away with a litany of drug-related crimes.

"This is something that won't be tolerated in Milan or anywhere in Cibola County for that matter," Salazar said.

In explaining the raid, Salazar said Torrez was charged with possession of heroin with the intent to traffic, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and receiving stolen property.

A second man, George Gallegos was at the Torrez residence, located at 618 San Jose, and charged with possession of a stolen firearm, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Torrez was jailed without bond. The bond amount of Gallegos was not immediately available. Torrez is a convicted felon with past drug charges in Cibola County.

"This is an example of what a multi-agency task force can do with respect to putting resources together," Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace said.

Removal of planter bearing Casuse’s image stirs controversy

The Gallup City Council heard sentiments from community members about a downtown planter that was removed from the front of the law office of attorney Barry Klopfer.

The planter depicted images of Larry Casuse, a Native American female bearing an AK-47 rifle, and a Native family of elders. In the eyes of the Native Americans that spoke during the public comment portion of the April 25 council meeting, removing the planter was a slap in the face to a people who already feel economically, politically and socially subjugated by Gallup.

“Do you know the Native population of Gallup,” Brandon Benallie asked Mayor Jackie McKinney. “Look at the council: How many Natives are on the city council?”

Benallie’s remarks were part of a string of remarks aimed at alleged Native discrimination and marginalization.

Casuse was a Navajo-born college student at the University of New Mexico-Gallup who kidnapped then-mayor Emmitt Garcia at gunpoint in March 1973. Casuse, and others in the area Native communities, were opposed to the inordinate amount of liquor licenses in Gallup at the time. The city continues to have more such licenses as per population – practically three times the amount as suggested by state guidelines.

Casuse aimed to show Garcia the impact alcohol had on the Navajo community. Casuse was killed, according to some reports, by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Klopfer commissioned the painting of the planter. Local artist Ric Sarracino was reportedly paid $300 to do it and that was recently refunded to Klopfer, Francis Bee, the executive director of the city’s Business Improvement District, said.

“The money has been refunded,” Bee said. “I think the painting may have violated some rules that were put in place when the planters were being done.”

McKinney said the planter was removed after the city received numerous complaints about the depictions. As far as where the planter is right now is undetermined. The Gallup Sun has reached out to the city’s parks and recreation department, but has not received returned telephone calls. The parks department would have been the city department charged with the removal of the planter.

“This is outright discrimination against the Native American people,” Mike Butler, a white protester who also spoke against the removal of the planter. “The sad thing is that the city is hypocritical. There are murals right outside on the walls of City Hall that bear the same thing. The fact of the matter is they don’t care about anyone who isn’t white. How many Natives have top level jobs at Gallup City Hall?”

McKinney argued against the racial aspect of what was being hurled at the entire panel.

“You don’t know me,” McKinney told Benallie, and supporters. “If you did you wouldn’t be saying that.”

Jerry Garcia of Gallup and the brother of the mayor that was taken hostage by Casuse addressed council members and had some pretty choice words for the Native protesters.

“We sit here and we talk about our liquor laws and you go to your casino where your president is ripping you people off by tons of money,” Garcia, a local builder, said. “You don’t know nothing.”

A meeting on the whole Native discrimination matter, as well as the planter removal, is set for May 9 at the Downtown Conference Center. The Sun has received reports that the planter was painted over.

By Bernie Dotson
Sun Correspondent

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent

Two people and a dog are dead from gunshot wounds after an apparent car repossession reached the point of no return at Gallup’s Walmart. That’s the story line stemming from an April 25 incident that left a white male and female and a dog dead, police and witness reports suggest.

According to a police report, Gary Crakow, 70, and Virgina Leichliter, 70, of Mesa, Ariz., were pronounced deceased by Gallup emergency responders in Row 10 of the parking lot at Walmart at 1650 W. Maloney Ave.

The police report, released April 27, states that Jeremy Greeson of Reservation Recovery towing service, told Gallup police that he was about to tow a black Hyundai Santa Fe when the shooting occurred. When the shootings happened, the Santa Fe was hitched to the towing vehicle, the police report states.

The motive behind the shooting is not known. The Hyundai Santa Fe was towed to the Gallup Police Department.

Capt. Marinda Spencer of the Gallup Police Department said a call regarding a fatal shooting at the West Maloney Boulevard store came in to Metro Dispatch at about 12:30 pm. When officers arrived it was determined that the incident involved a male and a female and an animal, Spencer said. The Gallup Fire Department determined that both individuals and the dog were dead.

“Yes, I can confirm that there was a fatal shooting,” Spencer said. “The incident is still under investigation.”

A witness at the scene who asked not to be identified said the female was in Walmart shopping and came out of the store to see the repo man hooking up towing cables. The couple was apparently experiencing some hard economic times and may have been living out of the vehicle.

Upon seeing the repossession in place, the female grabbed a handgun out of the car and proceeded to shoot the male passenger who was sitting in the passenger side back seat of the vehicle, and the dog, before turning the gun on herself.

Officer Joe Roanhorse arrived on scene at about 12:44 pm, and saw the woman laying to the left and bleeding from the head. She still had the gun in her hand with her finger near the trigger.

Meanwhile, the store has continued with normal business, Spencer said. Spencer also said there is not a gunman on the loose in Gallup, saying the public should have no worries about a lone renegade trigger man.

Spencer did not identify the exact type of weapon used in the incident.