Homicide suspect netted
Vanderwagen man apprehended in Thursday's killing

Krissy Leekey, an investigator with the Gallup Crime Scene Unit, takes a picture of a vehicle where the suspect of a recent homicide was found at the intersections of State Highway 602 and 564 on Friday. Police had been watching Brenden James after evidence led them to believe that he was involved in the death of Kevin Begay on Thursday morning. The suspect left his residence with family and police apprehended him at the intersection without struggle. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

Brenden James

GALLUP — The 19-year-old Vanderwagen man who is suspected of pulling the trigger of the gun that killed a 20-year-old Breadsprings man on Thursday, is behind bars.

Suspect Brenden James, of Bean Farm Road, found himself surrounded by armed police and FBI agents as his vehicle stopped at a red light at the intersection of New Mexico highways 602 and 564 at about 3:10 p.m. on Friday. He surrendered without incident.

"He wasn't aggressive at all," Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, said of James' demeanor.

District Judge Grant Foutz issued a warrant for James' arrest in connection with the shooting death of Kevin Begay at the Piñon Hills Apartments on Dairy Drive.

Begay was fatally shot once in the head at about 12:45 a.m. while he was standing between two parked vehicles outside an apartment unit identified as "Building 8."

When medical personnel arrived at the scene, Begay had a "faint" pulse, but later died at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital from his injuries.

Lt. Rick White, of the Gallup Police Department, said agents for the Region 1 Narcotics Taskforce, McKinley County Sheriff's deputies, Gallup police officers and FBI agents participated in the operation to arrest James. Officers had been conducting surveillance of James' Vanderwagen home in the hours following the shooting and decided to apprehend him while he was riding in a blue Ford Escape with his mother. James said nothing during his arrest.

James was booked into the McKinley County Adult Detention Center on an open count of murder and will remain jailed on no bond, pursuant to the arrest warrant. According to an affidavit for arrest, Begay left a voice message with Melissa Olguin, the mother of his child, in the hours prior to his death. In the message, Begay said he "had gotten into some s**t and if he was still alive, he'd do something with her the next day."

Court records indicate Begay and James visited friends who lived at the Piñon Hills Apartments moments before the shooting. Witnesses told police they saw James "run up to Kevin (Begay) really fast ... then saw a flash and heard a loud gunshot," according to the affidavit. James reportedly shouted an expletive at Begay and fled the scene in a easterly direction.

During a cell phone call following the attack, James allegedly said it " .... had to be done" and "don't say anything" to one of the witnesses. Both James and Begay were reportedly intoxicated at the time of the killing. A specific motive for the crime is not clear.

During a search of James' vehicle following his arrest, officers found a pistol that is consistent with the type used in the killing and blood splattered clothing.