Ex-Diné officer pleads innocent

Staff and wire report

GALLUP — A former Navajo Nation police officer was arraigned Thursday on an open charge of murder.
Harrison Largo pleaded innocent to that charge and a charge of tampering with evidence when he appeared before McKinley County Magistrate Henrietta Soland.
She set no bond for the 40-year-old man, who is being held in Gallup.

He is accused in Tuesday’s fatal shooting of Freda Smith. Largo and Smith lived together at a mobile home in Thoreau.

According to the court records, a neighbor heard the couple arguing and saw Smith run from the mobile home, with Largo following. The witness heard three shots.
Smith died at an Albuquerque hospital.

According to local law enforcement, Largo has a history of domestic altercations that date back to at least 2002.

According to court records, Largo was arrested on Dec. 15, 2002, on kidnapping and aggravated assault charges.
The charges were filed after he was accused of the kidnapping of his then wife and teenage daughter at gunpoint and taking them to a remote area near the Zuni Mountains. The woman was then beaten until she and the teenager found a way to escape.

District Attorney Karl Gillson said he recalls that the incident was sparked when Largo suspected his wife was involved with another man.

“In our heart of hearts we knew we would see Largo in the future, but in a darker light,” Gillson said. “ ... We were very shook up.”

If convicted of the murder offense, Largo could face up to 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.