At approximately 6 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, the Snowflake-Taylor Police Department responded to a home burglary in which a 39-year-old woman was reported to have been shot in the face by an unknown assailant who fled the scene. When officers arrived, they encountered the female and her parents in an apartment located at 662 S. 1st W. in Snowflake. Officers began rendering aid to the female after which she was transported to Summit Healthcare in Show Low by Taylor-Snowflake Fire and EMS. After securing the victim’s apartment, additional officers were called to the area to begin searching for a male subject described as a Hispanic male wearing a black sweater and white sweatpants. As the search was ongoing, an occupant of a nearby apartment located at 658 S. 1st W. in Snowflake, came outside and told the officers that his roommate was involved in the situation and was inside the apartment. At approximately 7:30 a.m., officers surrounded the apartment, evacuated nearby residences, closed the street and began giving verbal commands to the suspect via loudspeaker to surrender. At just after 8 a.m., the subject, identified as 18-year-old Joel Omari Hernandez surrendered to officers without further incident. He was charged with burglary, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree murder. He was booked into the Navajo County Jail.
