Navajo man charged with shooting at people in Gallup over barking dogs
May 22—A member of the Navajo Nation is accused of shooting at multiple people over barking dogs earlier this month.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Harley Davidson Joe, 38, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
Joe was released pending trial.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on May 11, three people were walking their dogs in Gallup when the animals began barking at Joe, who was driving by. Joe got out and told them to "come get your (expletive) dogs."
DOJ states an argument ensued. A witness told investigators that Joe fired a handgun at him before the witness fired "approximately 10 rounds" before Joe got back into the truck and fled.
According to DOJ, Joe called for an ambulance and claimed he was shot by an unknown person. First responders found him at a home in Gallup with a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Investigators found a handgun in Joe's pickup that he denied owning. However, he later told agents he got the firearm from under the driver's seat "after he had been shot" and had fired about five rounds toward two men who ran toward him.
If convicted, Joe faces 10 years to life in prison.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office's Gallup Resident Agency investigated the case with help from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations.
