A Shiprock resident has been charged in federal court following a shooting incident that targeted an occupied home. According to court documents, on January 21, 2026, the Navajo Police Department received a report stating that Taylon Keeswood, 20, a member of the Navajo Nation, was firing at a house in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Police officers responded and detained Keeswood near the scene. Investigators recovered shell casings and confirmed that gunfire had struck a residence where an adult and three children were present. No injuries were reported.
Keeswood admitted to investigators that he used an AK-style rifle to fire 30 rounds at the house from his hip. He believed it was the home of someone with whom he had previous disputes. Afterward, he fled and hid the firearm. Law enforcement later found the weapon at the location identified by Keeswood.
He is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Keeswood will remain under conditions of release while awaiting trial; no date has been set. If convicted, he faces at least ten years in prison.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison stated: "An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law." Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, joined Ellison in announcing the charges.
The case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with help from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting.
