⏱ 2 min read
Bryson Chee, a 43-year-old Shiprock man and enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has been sentenced for a brazen act of violence. On August 1, 2025, Chee arrived at a residence in Shiprock as a passenger in a vehicle with two others. After exiting the vehicle, Chee retrieved a handgun, pointed it at the occupants, and began shooting as they attempted to drive away.
Chee pleaded guilty to using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. As a result, he has been sentenced to seven years in prison, with no possibility of parole. Upon his release, Chee will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The investigation into Chee’s actions was led by the Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack E. Burkhead prosecuted the case, which was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office.
The sentence handed down to Chee reflects the seriousness of his crime and the danger it posed to the occupants of the vehicle. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of law enforcement collaboration and the need to hold perpetrators of violent crime accountable for their actions.
Related Federal Cases
- Peter Pagan, Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2015 · New Mexico
- Reynaldo Marquez, Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2014 · New Mexico
- Patrick Yazzie-Tso, Violent Assault, New Mexico 2023 · New Mexico
- Darrel Salazar, Brandishing a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, New Mexico 2016 · New Mexico
- Terrence Shije, Violent Domestic Assault, New Mexico 2023 · New Mexico
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: New Mexico
- Location: NM
- Source: DOJ Press Release
