Nehemiah Isaac Montano was a 15-year-old Hispanic male and a sophomore at Portales High School in New Mexico. Remembered in his obituary as a "people person" who "always had lots of friends around him," Nehemiah's life was cut short in March 2023.
On the night of Friday, March 10, 2023, Nehemiah was at a residence on South Roosevelt Road 3 in Roosevelt County. According to court records, his grandmother heard a gunshot from inside the home.
She went to investigate and found Nehemiah in the den, holding his stomach where he had been shot.
Nehemiah’s grandfather rushed him to Roosevelt General Hospital. Before succumbing to his injury, Nehemiah was able to tell police officers who had shot him. Medical personnel worked for several hours to save his life, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
The investigation led to another 15-year-old boy, who was taken into custody. Court records show the suspect stated he was cleaning his gun when it accidentally fired, striking Nehemiah. The unnamed teen was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
In the days that followed, Nehemiah’s family created a fundraising account to help with unexpected funeral expenses. His funeral service was held on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at the First Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Portales. As of March 2023, the suspect was in custody at a juvenile facility as the case proceeded through the legal system.
