A man from Cuba, New Mexico, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and a firearms offense following a fatal shooting during a highway chase. Rodgerick Tsosie, 32, who is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, admitted to firing into a vehicle on May 16, 2022, along New Mexico Highway 197 near Torreon.
According to court records, Tsosie was called to intervene in a fight involving the driver of the vehicle and other family members. As he drove alongside the vehicle, Tsosie fired one shot intended for the driver but instead struck his 14-year-old nephew in the head. Despite immediate aid from an off-duty EMT and emergency responders, the teenager died later that evening at a hospital in Santa Fe.
Law enforcement agencies including the Navajo Nation Police Department, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI responded to the incident. Witnesses identified Tsosie as the shooter at the scene. Tsosie later told authorities: “I guess I’ll take the fall for it.”
There is no parole in the federal system. After serving his prison sentence, Tsosie will be under supervised release for five years.
Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albuquerque Violent Crime Task Force with support from local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco prosecuted.
