Kian Manuel Banderas was a 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino man who loved being a father. Born and raised in Billings, Montana, by his great-grandmother and aunt, Kian played football and basketball growing up and enjoyed swimming in the Yellowstone River. He was raising two children, his son and his girlfriend's son. On the day he was killed, his own son had just celebrated his first birthday.
On the evening of April 29, 2023, a traveling carnival was being held in the parking lot of a car
dealership on 1st Avenue North in Billings. The event had drawn members of two rival gangs, the Lash Money gang and the Parkway gang, who had a history of retaliatory violence. In the days leading up to the carnival, members of the Parkway gang had reportedly been making threats online toward a 15-year-old member of the Lash Money gang. Around 10:30 p.m., as groups of young people in ski masks acted aggressively, security began to shut the carnival down.
Kian Banderas arrived to pick up friends and was attempting to leave the area in a Honda Accord. As he drove, a group of youths began throwing rocks at his car. Banderas turned down an alleyway, and at least seven gunshots were fired into the vehicle in a matter of seconds. He was struck by a bullet in the neck and died at the scene. Another teenager in the car was wounded in the arm. An autopsy later confirmed Banderas died from the gunshot wound, which severed his carotid artery, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The Billings Police Department launched an extensive investigation, conducting over 70 interviews, primarily with juveniles, and executing numerous search warrants on homes, vehicles, cell phones, and social media accounts. Investigators also reviewed surveillance footage from area businesses. The investigation led to charges against four individuals, including three teenagers who were charged as adults.
Dominic Tray Roundstone, 15, and Kannon Sekavec, 14, were each charged with deliberate homicide. Court documents allege that both teens fired handguns into the car Banderas was driving. A third teen, 14-year-old Charles Dean Bearcrane, was charged with deliberate homicide by accountability, with witnesses reporting that he provided the revolver used by Roundstone just before the shooting. The fourth person charged was 19-year-old Dano-Koo Hoaglen, who faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence for allegedly helping to sell one of the firearms used in the shooting.
In Yellowstone County District Court, Dominic Tray Roundstone, Charles Dean Bearcrane, and Kannon Sekavec all pleaded not guilty to their respective charges. As of February 2024, the case against the four defendants remains pending trial.
