Rodgerick Tsosie, Fatal Shooting and Highway Chase, New Mexico 2022

A Cuba man was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting into a vehicle during a highway chase resulting in the killing a 14-year-old passenger.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on May 16, 2022, Rodgerick Tsosie, 32, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, chased a vehicle carrying several occupants along New Mexico Highway 197 near Torreon.

Tsosie had been called to break up a fight between the driver of the vehicle and other family members. As he pulled alongside the vehicle, Tsosie fired once towards the driver but inadvertently struck his 14-year-old nephew, John Doe 1, in the head.

Despite efforts by an off-duty EMT, ambulance, and medivac crew, John Doe 1 was pronounced dead that evening at a hospital in Santa Fe.

Law enforcement from the Navajo Nation Police, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI responded to the scene. Witnesses identified Tsosie’s vehicle, and multiple occupants immediately told authorities he was the shooter.

Tsosie later admitted to firing a shot, stating, “I guess I’ll take the fall for it.”

Tsosie pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Upon his release from prison, Tsosie will be subject to five years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The FBI’s Albuquerque Violent Crime Task Force investigated this case with assistance from the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office and the Navajo Nation Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco prosecuted the case.

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