Gallup Man Charged with Voluntary Manslaughter for Fatal Shooting

ALBUQUERQUE – A Gallup man is facing federal charges following a fatal shooting during an altercation.

According to court documents, on May 26, 2025, Herman Smith, 37, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, shot and killed John Doe during an altercation.

Smith is charged with voluntary manslaughter and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Smith faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Nation Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Burkhead is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.