Pinehill Man Receives 27 and a Half Year Prison Sentence for Fatal Family Shooting

ALBUQUERQUE – A Pinehill man was sentenced today to 27and a half years in prison for a fatal family shooting.

There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, on the morning of December 22, 2023, Ellery Brent Yazzie, 38, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, fatally shot his father and brother, shot and seriously injured his sister, and tried to shoot his mother in their family home. Yazzie then attempted to take his own life, but he survived.

Upon his release from prison, Yazzie will be subject to five years of supervised release.

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

The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramah Navajo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Jena Ritchey are prosecuting the case.