CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – In late November, an unknown gunman opened fire on Katie Mallory, who was walking down Zuni Canyon Road like she normally does. For Mallory, the day was just like any other, she was on a walk to meet her husband, knowing his schedule she expected him to meet him on the road while he was driving home from work. On a normal day he would pick her up and they would drive home together. This day, however, would prove to be anything but normal.
Searching for the gunman
The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office has exhausted most of their available resources to investigate this case; they have worked with the New Mexico State Police to help expedite the case. Both agencies concluded that the only option available to them is a Geofence warrant, which will identify all of the cell phones in the area at the time.
The warrant is expensive, around $4,000, according to Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, and is currently being processed. If approved, the Geofence search will affect a 50- mile radius around the Zuni Canyon Road – Bonita Canyon area as par of the efforts to locate the gunman.
The Mallory’s have been pursuing their own leads on the case, even creating a timeline of events to find the specific time the gunman’s vehicle passed certain areas which has helped the CCSO acquire video footage of the car.
Evidence
Concerns were raised about the handling of evidence. The Mallory’s claimed that they saw a CCSO deputy pick up a shotgun shell casing off the ground on Zuni Canyon, but when they asked about that evidence later, it was nowhere to be found.
“This is rural New Mexico, people shoot signs for sport,” Sheriff Mace said.
He confirmed that one of his deputies did pick up a shotgun shell, but that it was very aged and, upon further investigation, was determined to not be associated with the shooting based on the age of the shell.
“Until we find physical evidence, our hands are tied. That’s why we’re using the Geofence warrant,” the sheriff explained.
The shooting
K. Mallory said that people driving on the road often stop and ask her if she is okay. So, it was not a surprise to her when a blue Hyundai SUV pulled up next to her and asked if she was well. The surprise came when the driver, whom she describes as a Native American male, flashed a shotgun at her. The situation quickly turned into an altercation and Mallory attempted to flee and was shot in the back of her leg.
Mallory’s husband served in the military and had told her that she should carry a firearm with her, so she returned fire to the gunman, unsure whether she had hit him. The gunman fired at her once more, striking the victim again and she fell to the ground. The gunman drove away, and Mallory hid in the brush, waiting for her husband’s vehicle to come by.
Wesley Mallory, K. Mallory’s husband, saw her and at first believed she had been hit by a car. He immediately took her to Cibola General Hospital in Grants. CCSO responded quickly to the shooting and the investigation began immediately.
After the first Cibola Citizen story about this shooting ran the first week of December, almost all the newspapers that were put into racks outside of stores were stolen.