2 men arrested for shooting at vehicle

Independent Staff

GALLUP — Two Jamestown men were arrested for allegedly firing shots into an occupied vehicle, according to court records.

Brothers Daniel Sanders, 18, and Gary Sanders Jr., 26, are facing felony charges of shooting at a motor vehicle, aggravated assault and conspiracy for allegedly firing a .22 caliber rifle into a pick-up truck that was traveling along an eastbound ramp on Interstate 40.

Daniel Sanders and Gary Sanders were reportedly involved in an altercation at the Pilot Travel Center with the occupants of the pick-up truck prior to the March 30 shooting.

The occupants reported hearing gunshots and noticed their windows had been shot out; however, no serious injuries were reported. The Sanders and the vehicle's occupants were engaged in a chase along Interstate 40 in the minutes leading up to the shooting, according to court records.

The involved vehicles were towed to the sheriff's department as evidence in the case. McKinley County Sheriff's Deputies were initially assigned to the investigation, but transferred the case to the New Mexico State Police because the Sanders are soon-to-be in-laws of a sheriff's department investigator.

The pair is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in magistrate court.