Shiprock Man Charged with Assaulting Federal Officer

ALBUQUERQUE - A Shiprock man has been charged in federal court after he allegedly fired at a law enforcement officer during an emergency response in Shiprock.

According to court documents, on July 26, 2026, Navajo Nation Police responded to a report that Marcus Allen Benally, 41, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was using a rifle to threaten his neighbor in Shiprock, New Mexico. Benally fired in the direction of an officer, striking and damaging a patrol vehicle. Benally fled on foot and was apprehended by a K9.

Benally is charged with assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Benally faces up to 20 years in prison.

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 Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Teleky is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.