Zuni Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Firing Shotgun at Occupied Vehicle

ALBUQUERQUE - A Zuni man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for federal firearms offenses after he fired a shotgun at an occupied vehicle parked outside of a home on the Zuni Pueblo.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on the evening of February 2, 2025, Cody Laweka, 35, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, drove with another person to a home on the Pueblo of Zuni. The person with whom Laweka drove had a shotgun in his truck bed. On the way to this residence, Laweka asked to use that shotgun. When Laweka arrived at the residence, he exited the truck with the shotgun and shot at least twice at a car occupied by John Doe. After this shooting, Laweka got back into the truck with the other person and left the scene. No one was hit by Laweka's gunshots.

The following day, the FBI went to apprehend Laweka at another home in Zuni. Laweka fled when he spotted officers but was eventually apprehended. During a subsequent interview, Laweka admitted firing the shotgun at the car, and tossing the shotgun along the highway. Police searched for the shotgun but never found it.

At the time Laweka committed these crimes crime, he was on supervised release for committing a prior federal crime.

Laweka pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence and discharging that firearm. The Court recommended Defendant complete the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), the Bureau of Prisons' most intensive treatment program. Upon his release from prison, Laweka will be subject to three years of supervised release.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Pueblo of Zuni Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones and Nicholas Marshall are prosecuting this case.