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Flagstaff Demonstrators Protest Police Violence Against Native Americans

Ryan Heinsius

Activists gathered in downtown Flagstaff Sunday to protest what they view as extreme police violence against minority populations including Native Americans. Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, they called for the firing of a Winslow police officer who shot and killed a Navajo woman in March.

The protestors marched through the streets, holding signs and blocking traffic. They demanded Officer Austin Shipley be removed from the Winslow Police Department after he shot Loreal Tsingine five times on a shoplifting call as she approached him with a pair of scissors. The protesters were escorted by the Flagstaff Police Department without incident.

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Protesters outside the Coconino County Courthouse on Sun, Aug. 14.

“We are here to call for justice, we’re here to stand as a community,” says Klee Benally, one of the organizers of the demonstration. “It’s a very extreme exception that any of those officers who have killed black and brown people have faced any charges, or have been convicted.”

Credit Ryan Heinsius

An outside investigation recently cleared Shipley of any criminal wrongdoing. The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, however, is conducting a review of the investigation. 

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Police officers monitor the protest from the across the street in downtown Flagstaff.

According to a database compiled by the British newspaper the Guardian, 13 Native Americans have been killed by police in the U.S. this year. Nearly half were in Arizona.

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Klee Benally on the bullhorn during a protest on Sun, Aug. 14.

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Protesters outside the Coconino County Courthouse Sun, Aug. 14.

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Protesters block Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff.

Credit Ryan Heinsius
Protesters in Heritage Square Sun, Aug. 14.

Ryan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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