4 October 2026
According to court documents summarized by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico, Letisha Begay, 39, allegedly shot a man after an encounter outside her residence in Shiprock, New Mexico.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
According to investigators summarized by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Begay told responding officers that the man had been drinking throughout the day and returned to her residence looking for his motorcycle.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
According to investigators summarized by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Begay said she returned home after a call from her distressed daughter and found the man taking keys to her truck.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said a nearby witness reported hearing a loud bang before seeing a pickup truck backing toward another vehicle.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the truck struck the vehicle, and witnesses found the man unconscious behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to his chest.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay approached the truck, initially told a witness that the man had shot himself, and attempted to stop the bleeding while witnesses called for help.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said responding officers attempted lifesaving measures, but the man died at the scene.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay allegedly admitted shooting the man while speaking with officers, but said she had not intended to do so.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay directed officers to a pistol inside her residence and confirmed that it was the firearm involved in the shooting.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
4 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said investigators observed a shattered driver's side window with a small hole in the glass.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
14 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay is charged with second-degree murder and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; the complaint is an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
14 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Begay will remain on conditions of release pending trial.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
14 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said a trial had not been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
14 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico
14 October 2026
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Ray Slatton is prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico