In the quiet evening of April 7, 2026, the life of 20-year-old Gabriel Montaño was cut short by gunfire in front of a residence in a neighborhood west of Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When police responded to reports of shots fired shortly after 8 p.m. in the 3200 block of Don Gabal Loop NW, they discovered Montaño's body in the street.
At the scene, officers encountered a surprising sight: two men, 22-year-old Xavier Torres and 19-year-old John Gonzales, with their hands in the
air, seemingly waiting to be taken into custody. The two were subsequently arrested in connection with Montaño's shooting death.
During the investigation, both Torres and Gonzales claimed they had shot Montaño in self-defense, alleging that he had pulled a handgun from a cross-body pack he was wearing. However, homicide detectives noted inconsistencies in their statements. Investigators learned that Torres and Gonzales had deliberately arranged for Montaño to come to their home, suspecting that he would be armed. The men admitted to arming themselves with "big shit" to match what they perceived as Montaño's "energy," who was known to post photos of himself with firearms and cash on the social media platform Telegram.
Surveillance footage of the incident reportedly shows one of the men taking a small step back before firing approximately 10 to 15 shots at Montaño without any apparent warning. A search of the residence and Torres' vehicle uncovered a significant cache of weapons, including a backpack containing handgun magazines and other firearm-related items, a Glock handgun in a children's bedroom, and a sawed-off. 12-gauge shotgun.
Both Xavier Torres and John Gonzales have been charged with an open count of murder and were booked into the Metro Detention Center. It was also revealed that Torres had a pending charge from a 2023 incident for allegedly pointing a firearm at his then-girlfriend and her family, and Gonzales had a juvenile criminal case in 2023.
