Music leads to stabbing

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A 29-year-old Gallup man is in custody this morning for allegedly stabbing his nephew in the heart following an argument over music that was being played at a New Year's Eve celebration.

Mark Lujan was booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on a felony charge of aggravated assault at about 12:40 a.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, his nephew, Jeremy Leyba, 18, is being treated at a Phoenix hospital for the stab wound and is classified as in critical condition.

Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said both Leyba and Lujan called police to their residence at the 1700 Block of Mesquite Drive following the attack.

Lujan was waiting for police outside the residence and Leyba had locked himself inside a bedroom, according to reports.

Toadlena-Pablo said some type of music was being played at the residence on New Year's Eve when Lujan and Leyba began to argue about the volume at which it was being played.

After the argument, both Lujan and Leyba went their separate ways, police reports stated, until Lujan walked into Leyba's bedroom and stabbed him in the heart with a knife.

Leyba was taken to RMCH for treatment, but was later transported by air to a Phoenix hospital due to the severity of his condition.

"It doesn't look like his condition is going to improve," Toadlena-Pablo said.

If Leyba's condition deteriorates, Lujan will face more serious charges, she said.

A woman and an infant were also at the residence at the time of the attack, but they were not injured.

Toadlena-Pablo said alcohol was a factor in the assault.