Chinle man dies in fair shooting
By Bill Donovan
Special to the Times
WINDOW ROCK, Sept. 12, 2013
The man was identified as Eric Reed, of Chinle.
Navajo police received at least two phone calls early Friday morning from people reporting that a domestic altercation had occurred on the east side of the fairgrounds.
When police arrived, Reed was reportedly waving a gun around and pointing it at a nearby car in which a woman was sitting.
When Reed fired at the car, despite orders by two officers who showed up, one of the officers fired on him.
Both Reed and the woman, whose name has not been released, were taken to nearby hospitals. The woman did not have a life-threatening injury, according to police.
A Navajo police officer with more than 15 years on the force said Sunday that while he remembers hearing about a stabbing or two that occurred during the tribal fair, this is the first time that he has heard of a shooting and one that involved a tribal police officer.
As is normal in these kind of cases, the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on leave with pay pending an investigation that is now underway by the FBI.
Contact Bill Donovan at news@navajotimes.com.