Staff Reports
Kasey Charles Benally, 27, the suspect involved in the July 29 drive-by shooting at the Pit Stop Body Shop, turned himself in Aug. 6.
According to an affidavit filed in McKinley County Magistrate Court by Gallup Police Department Detective Chavo Chischilly, officers responded to the auto repair shop at 2701 Boyd Ave. around 1:30 pm on July 29 after receiving reports of a shooting.
Upon arrival, first responders found a Pit Shop employee suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. The woman was reportedly working at her desk inside the office when multiple rounds struck the building, passing through a window behind her computer screen. She was initially taken to a local hospital before being airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment.
Surveillance footage and witness statements gathered near the scene pinpointed a silver 2012 Toyota Tacoma with wide tires driving east on Boyd Avenue as four shots rang out. Investigators located four spent .45-caliber casings on the roadway.
The incident kicked off a multi-agency manhunt spanning federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement.
Later that evening, a New Mexico State Police officer spotted the suspect vehicle near Patton Drive and Highway 66. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the truck fled at high speeds, forcing law enforcement to terminate the initial pursuit due to public safety risks. Shortly after, Navajo Nation Police encountered the same truck speeding along Highway 1149 in Pinedale, N.M., where one passenger fled on foot before the vehicle sped away again.
Law enforcement later located the registered truck parked at a residence off Navajo Route 9 in Brimhall, N.M. After obtaining permission from Navajo Nation prosecutors, the vehicle was impounded and searched.
Inside the truck, detectives recovered a temporary state identification card bearing Benally’s name, along with a matching spent .45-caliber casing under the passenger seat. Testing conducted by the Crime Gun Intelligence Center on July 31 confirmed the shell casing found inside the truck was fired from the exact same gun as the casings recovered from the crime scene.
Benally is facing charges of shooting at an inhabited dwelling (resulting in great bodily harm), conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer. His case was transferred from Gallup Magistrate Court to District Court Aug. 10. No further information was available at press time.
