SHIPROCK MAN SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON AFTER FIRING MULTIPLE SHOTS AT PASSERBY

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — August 20, 2026 — A Shiprock man has been sentenced to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from a March 2025 shooting on Navajo Route 509.

Isaiah Benally, 35, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to federal court records cited by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, the incident occurred on March 13, 2025, when Benally fired multiple shots at a person walking along Navajo Route 509.

Two bullets struck the ground near the passerby. The individual was not physically injured but later told investigators that he feared for his life.

Federal records from the initial criminal complaint provide additional detail about the circumstances leading to the shooting. At approximately 7 p.m., Navajo Nation Police received a report of shots fired. Investigators said Benally had been at a nearby residence with family members before confronting an individual walking along the road. According to the complaint, Benally went inside the residence, returned with a firearm and continued yelling toward the passerby before shots were fired.

The complaint originally charged Benally under federal statutes governing assault with a dangerous weapon in Indian Country. At the time of the March 25, 2025 charge, federal prosecutors said he faced a potential maximum sentence of 10 years if convicted.

Following the shooting, Benally remained inside the nearby residence and refused repeated commands from law enforcement officers to come outside. He eventually exited and was taken into custody without incident.

The earlier federal complaint described the arrest as occurring after a brief standoff involving the Navajo Nation SWAT team. Officers searching the residence subsequently located firearm-related evidence. The sentencing announcement states that investigators recovered an unloaded handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition from Benally’s bedroom. The initial charging announcement also reported that officers found body armor and firearm accessories inside the residence.

Benally later pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, resolving the federal criminal charge against him. His 48-month prison sentence will be followed by three years of federal supervised release.

The case falls within the Justice Department’s Indian Country Law and Justice enforcement responsibilities. Benally’s status as an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and the location of the offense brought the assault within federal jurisdiction under the statutes cited in the criminal complaint.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meg Tomlinson prosecuted the case.

The sentence was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris.

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