A Torreon man pleaded guilty on Mar. 23 to unlawfully possessing firearms after reportedly using one of them in a shooting and being involved in several shooting incidents on the Navajo Nation between July 2024 and September 2025.
The case concerns the safety of residents within the Navajo Nation, as it involves multiple violent events allegedly carried out by Cisco Whitehorse, who is an enrolled member of the tribe. Authorities say these incidents spanned more than a year and involved repeated use of firearms.
According to court documents, Whitehorse, age 43, was believed to have possessed and used firearms during four separate shootings. In July 2024, he fired from or near his vehicle at a person identified as John Doe 1 after that individual drove past him, striking the victim three times. The following month, he was accused of firing from his residence at another individual as they drove by. In August 2025, Whitehorse again opened fire from his home at a vehicle driven by John Doe 1. In September 2025, he allegedly fired multiple rounds from his vehicle near a local government building before fleeing at high speed.
On October 24, 2025, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at Whitehorse’s residence and recovered three firearms along with ammunition. As someone previously convicted of felony offenses, Whitehorse was prohibited from possessing either firearms or ammunition under federal law.
Whitehorse pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of both firearm and ammunition; sentencing could result in up to fifteen years in prison. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement regarding this plea agreement.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office with help from both the Navajo Nation Police Department and its Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting this case.
