Officer Involved in Shooting Near Shiprock

At approximately 12:16 a.m. today, a 25-year-old Shiprock man, Arnold Dan Jr., was shot and killed by a Navajo Police Officer after an extended vehicle chase and violent confrontation. Also shot was Kevin Kellywood, 17, also from the Shiprock area. Kellywood was flown to the San Juan Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released back into the custody of law enforcement.

The incident began shortly after 11:00 last night following a theft of alcohol from the Mustang Station convenience store located just east of Shiprock on Highway 64. A Navajo Police officer initiated pursuit of three men in a small white Toyota pickup. The pursuit lasted nearly 45 minutes and reached speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour. During the pursuit the initial Navajo Police officer was joined by two additional Navajo Police officers and one New Mexico State Trooper. The pursuit ended at the driver’s (Arnold Dan Jr.) residence on Mesa Farm Road, approximately six miles north of Shiprock.

Only one officer discharged a weapon during the confrontation. The officer, whose name is not yet being released, was on foot at the time of the shooting. The officer fired into the vehicle as it was approaching him, killing the driver and wounding one of the two passengers. A third person in the vehicle, a 24-year-old male whose name is not being released at this time, was unharmed and remains in law enforcement custody.

Arnold Dan had an outstanding felony warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was driving on a suspended license. Officer-involved shooting investigations will be conducted by the FBI (due to the event having occurred on federal Indian lands) and the Navajo Department of Public Safety internal affairs and criminal investigative divisions.