Shiprock Man Charged with Assault and Federal Firearms Offenses

ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man is facing federal charges for firing multiple rounds at two people during a domestic dispute on the Navajo Nation.

According to court documents, on August 1, 2025, Bryson Chee, 42, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, who had been drinking and behaving erratically, arrived at a residence in Shiprock as a passenger in a vehicle with two others. After exiting the vehicle, Chee retrieved a handgun, pointed it at the occupants, and then began shooting as they attempted to drive away. A nearby witness and child took cover as shots were fired. Investigators later recovered multiple spent shell casings and confirmed bullets struck the victims’ vehicle.

Officers from Navajo Nation Police Department located Chee shortly after the shooting. Chee ignored commands to stop and threw a backpack containing a loaded handgun down a steep embankment before being taken into custody.

Chee is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, Chee faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Acting 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 Farmington 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 E. 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.