According to police, four officers were dispatched to a residence 6.5 miles east of the Ojo Encino School about 6:30 p.m. in reference to a report that a woman had been shot in the chest.
Prior to their arrival on the scene, the victim, identified as Samantha Chiquito, 23, of Ojo Encinco, was airlifted by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
By the time Navajo police arrived at the scene of the crime, state police and deputies for the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office had detained the suspect, who was identified as Permanual Castillo, 21, of Ojo Encino.
The case is still under investigation by tribal police and the FBI.
Six arrested on tribal warrantsThe Chinle Police Department, along with the Chinle Drug and Gang Unit, conducted a tribal warrant round up on Sept. 24 in the Lukachukai, Tsaile, Del Muerto and Chinle communities.
A total of six individuals - no names were released - were arrested on outstanding tribal warrants that ranged from traffic violations to battery.
During the process, police also arrested one individual found at one of the sites for public intoxication.
7 fatalities in 3 major accidents along Highway 264
Although the actual reports still have not been released by tribal police, officials said last week that there have been three major accidents on a stretch of road that have resulted in seven fatalities in the last four weeks.
The stretch of road is located on State Highway 264 between Window Rock and Ganado near the area.
Window Rock District Captain Antonio Cooke said there was nothing remarkable about that stretch except for the fact that it is hilly and portions have no passing signs because of the hills.
But that area has seen a four-fatality accident on the Saturday during the Navajo Nation fair, a rollover the following week and a two-person fatality last Thursday. The names the victims have been released yet.
Cooke said that an analysis of the accidents shows that driver error was responsible in each case.
He blamed the fact that the road has a lot of traffic at certain times of the day - 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. – as people are going to work and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. as they are returning home. Weekends also have major traffic as people are heading to and from Gallup, he said.
He said that if people would just observe the no passing signs and keep their speed down these types of accidents could be avoided.
As for the fact that this section of highway has seen three major accidents in recent weeks, Cooke said this may just be part of a cycle that happens every now and again on reservation roads.
"We had that happen in Crownpoint a while back," he said.