Zuni man charged in machete attack after argument escalates

Ronnie Shack, 25, faces federal charges after prosecutors say a March 26 argument at his Zuni home escalated into a machete attack that left another man with serious injuries and sent him first to a local hospital and then to a regional hospital for further treatment.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico said Shack, an enrolled member of the Zuni Tribe, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault causing serious bodily injury in Indian country. Prosecutors say Shack followed the victim outside after the argument, slashed his back with a machete and chased him down the street. Neighbors called 911.

The criminal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico as USA v. Shack, case 1:26-mj-02568, was entered May 27, before the June 29 announcement by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and FBI Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron O. Jordan is prosecuting the case.

Shack will remain on conditions of release pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, and the federal system has no parole.

The investigation was handled by the FBI’s Gallup Resident Agency, part of the Albuquerque Field Office, with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. That local-federal coordination has become a familiar feature in serious violent cases tied to Zuni Pueblo, where federal records also show a June 16, 2025 stabbing case, a March 20, 2025 shooting case, a February 4, 2024 manslaughter-related case and an April 8, 2023 armed assault case.

For McKinley County, the case again places a violent dispute in Zuni Pueblo under federal jurisdiction, with the victim’s injuries, the response by neighbors and police, and the move into federal court all part of the same chain of events. Federal charges are allegations, and Shack is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.