Maintenance worker checking pipes shot and killed after being mistaken for burglar
GRAND PRARIE, Texas December 28, 2022 A maintenance worker was shot and killed while inspecting pipes at a Texas apartment complex by a man who thought he was being burglarized, police said.
The Grand Prairie Police Department said its officers were called to a shooting at the Clayton Pointe Apartments on Saturday evening, where they found a maintenance worker for the complex injured with a gunshot wound on a balcony, WFAA reported. The victim, identified as Cesar Montelongo, was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Detectives told KTVT that Montelongo was checking homes for frozen and broken water lines after several pipes had burst earlier.
The resident of the apartment where Montelongo was shot told police that he thought his home was being burglarized, so he grabbed a gun and shot the victim through a window, KDFW reported.
Montelongo’s son, Cesar Montelongo Jr, told WFAA that his parents had planned to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday.
“And it’s sad that morning, the morning of the 24th, they went and had a breakfast date together because they knew everything was going to be closed on Christmas, and then he didn’t make it to the anniversary,” Montelongo said.
Police said that the resident stayed at the scene and has cooperated with the investigation, KTVT reported. The case will be referred to a grand jury for review.
