Explosion of violence leaves 2 dead

GALLUP, N.M. (KRQE) - An unusually violent night in Gallup has left two people dead and at least two more in the hospital.

Within two hours four separate shootings were reported in the Gallup area Monday night, police are still investigating if any of the shootings were connected.

It all started around 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Pinon Hills Apartment Complex near Gallup’s east side. That’s where police say two suspects shot a 15-year-old boy and a man in his 40’s outside the apartment, both victims died.

Elton Davis, 39, has been booked into the Mckinley County Detention Center on murder charges according to the Gallup Police Department.

Those suspects were caught a short time later and are investigating the motive behind that murder. At this time police do not believe it was gang-related.

Forty-five minutes later shots rang out from Gallup Indian Medical Center. Police say a man was shot in the stomach but is expected to survive. At this time that shooting is not believed to be connected to the one at Pinon Hills. While police have a person of interest in that shooting they say the suspect is still on the loose.

Then at 9:15 p.m. police say a Colorado tourist stopped to get gas at the Shell Gas Station off Route 66 where he was shot by another man in the face multiple times using a pellet gun. Shortly after that police received another report of a pellet gun shooting at the Fire Rock Casino.

Given the weapon that was used in the final two shootings of the evening police believe they might be connected somehow.

Gallup Police Deputy Chief John Allen says Monday was an unusually violent night in the area.

“This was definitely not a common night in Gallup, New Mexico. Things just lined up together and it seems like we had a majority of our crime for a year that occurred in one night,” Allen said.