HOLBROOK — The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that both criminal and administrative investigations are underway following the Dec. 13 deputy-involved shooting death of Kevin Peloso. Deputies involved remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigations.
UPDATE: On Jan 29, NCSO reached out to Mountain Daily Star and said, “All deputies that were placed on leave have returned to regular duty after completing the standard leave practice.”
Kevin Peloso, 54, of Fernley, Nevada, and his dog Shadow were shot dead at approximately 1:46 p.m. near U.S. 180 and Bucket of Blood Street in Holbrook following a multi-agency law enforcement response.
At the time Mountain Daily Star wrote the story above, Truckee the dog was still missing. She was eventually found and is currently with Peloso’s cousin in California after weeks of rehabilitation by the Deans.
In a statement provided to Mountain Daily Star, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Tori Gorman, said, “The deputies involved in the incident who were involved with the use of force were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, as is normal after such an event.”
Gorman said the criminal investigation into the shooting is being conducted by the Arizona Major Incident Division (MID) out of Phoenix, and the administrative investigation is being conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). The administrative investigation was requested by Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse, according to Gorman.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed that a DPS trooper was involved in the incident. In a statement provided to Mountain Daily Star, DPS Media Relations Specialist Bart Graves said the trooper was placed on administrative leave in accordance with department policy immediately following the incident and has since returned to duty.
DPS did not release details regarding the trooper’s specific actions or the date the trooper returned to duty.
The Arizona Major Incident Division (MID), based out of Phoenix, is a statewide, multi-agency investigative unit that conducts independent criminal investigations into critical incidents involving law enforcement, including officer-involved shootings and deaths in custody. MID comprises investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies and is used to avoid conflicts of interest when officers are involved in the use of deadly force. MID’s role is limited to collecting evidence, conducting interviews, and reviewing body-worn camera footage and forensic findings to determine whether the facts support potential criminal liability under Arizona law. MID does not determine guilt or innocence and does not file charges.
Sources told Mountain Daily Star that the investigations will be evaluated by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Authorities have said the incident began earlier on Dec. 13 with a traffic stop conducted by DPS. The encounter escalated into a high-speed pursuit when Peloso allegedly fled the stop, involving multiple agencies across Navajo and Apache counties, before ending in Holbrook, where Peloso and his dog were shot and killed after an alleged exchange of gunfire.
Authorities have not released the autopsy results or made any official findings regarding the details of the shooting.
According to the family of Peloso, the death certificate is still pending.
A criminal investigation following an officer-involved shooting can be standard practice and does not necessarily imply misconduct, but it is conducted to determine whether the use of deadly force was legally justified under Arizona law.
Officials have not released information regarding body-worn camera footage, whether multiple officers discharged their weapons, or when the investigations are expected to be completed. No charging decisions have been announced.
