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Navajo Nation 'Rejects' DOJ Move Not To Prosecute Ex-Officer

Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero

The Navajo Nation says the tribe is angry the U.S. Department of Justice decided not to prosecute a former Winslow officer for fatally shooting a 27-year-old woman.

The Gallup Independent report s Navajo Nation attorney Katherine Belzowski announced last week the tribe might file a lawsuit against the Winslow Police Department after the U.S. Department of Justice opted not to pursue charges.

Police say former Officer Austin Shipley shot Loreal Tsingine (SIN'-uh-jin-ee) last year after responding to a shoplifting complaint. Authorities say Tsingine was holding a pair of medical scissors when he shot her.

Tribal officials and activists had urged federal officials to look into the treatment of American Indians in towns like Winslow that border reservations.

A Department of Justice spokesperson didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.

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