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One officer killed and another injured in Navajo Nation incident






The officer who was wounded is being treated at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico. Photo from Johnson Smitthipong & Rosamond Associates

One police officer from the Navajo Nation was killed and another was injured on Thursday in a shootout on the reservation. The suspect was also killed.

Officers responded to a domestic violence call in Little Water, a community near Shiprock, New Mexico. The suspect was allegedly holding his family hostage and allegedly used an assault rifle to shoot one officer, who was not seriously injured.

The suspect then fled the scene and was followed by other tribal officers. During the course of the chase, one officer was killed and another was injured during gunfire just across the border in Arizona.

The officer who was killed was not identified. The officer who was injured is being treated at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in New Mexico.

“We send our condolences to the family of the Navajo Police officer who gave his life in the line of duty tonight,” President Ben Shelly said in a press release. “The family will be in our prayers.”

A Facebook profile of a young Navajo man who was identified in media accounts as the suspect shows a number of firearms. The man appeared to be an avid hunter.

Get the Story:
Alleged Littlewater, NM shooter familiar with weapons (The Navajo Times 3/20)
Suspect, officer killed, officer wounded in shooting on Navajo Nation (The Farmington Daily Times 3/20)
Navajo Nation officer, suspect killed; another officer wounded in shootout (KOB 3/20)
1 Navajo officer killed, 1 injured by Four Corners gunman (KRQE 3/20)
Navajo police officer, gunman killed in shooting (KOAT 3/20)
Navajo police officer killed by man holding family hostage (CNN 3/20)

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