A Tohatchi man named Augustus Benallie was charged with second degree murder and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm after he reportedly shot a woman on the Navajo Reservation.
According to a criminal complaint, on May 12, the Navajo Police Department received an emergency call regarding a shooting near Tohatchi. EMS responded to the coordinates the caller provided and found a woman inside a house with an apparent gunshot wound.
Medical personnel attempted to transport the victim to a staging location for medivac to a trauma center, but she died enroute.
Benallie, a 51-year-old member of the Navajo Nation, was arrested on May 13 after reportedly stabbing himself with a kitchen knife.
He appeared before a federal judge on May 17 and was detained pending a detention hearing, which was scheduled for May 20. At press time, no further updates were available.
If convicted of the current charges, Benallie faces up to life in prison.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Mia Ulibarri-Rubin is prosecuting the case.
Staff Reports
