Shiprock Man Pleads Guilty After Shooting into Residence

ALBUQUERQUE - A Shiprock man pleaded guilty to federal firearms offenses for shooting multiple rounds into an occupied residence.

According to court documents, on January 21, 2026, Navajo Police Department dispatch received a call reporting that Taylon Keeswood, 20, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was shooting at a house in Shiprock, New Mexico. Responding officers located and detained Keeswood near the house shortly after the call. Investigators recovered shell casings and confirmed that the residence, which was occupied by an adult and three children, had been struck numerous times by gunfire. No one inside the home was injured.

Keeswood later admitted to investigators that he fired an AK-style rifle from his hip, emptying a 30-round magazine at the residence, which he believed belonged to an individual with whom he had prior disputes. After the shooting, Keeswood fled the area and hid the firearm, which law enforcement later recovered at a location he identified.

Keeswood pleaded guilty to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At sentencing Keeswood faces up to 10 years in prison.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.

The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI's Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mondragon is prosecuting the case.