In the quiet, rural outskirts of Newton, Kansas, a grim scene unfolded on the late winter night of February 23, 2017. Inside a home located at 2111 N. Spencer Road, the lives of three men were tragically cut short. Among them was Michael John Lemons, a 34-year-old Caucasian male, who, along with Nelton Dean Lemons and Jason Stubby, was found dead from single gunshot wounds. The tranquility of the night was shattered by a 911 call made at 12:32 a.m.
by a woman, her voice filled with distress, reporting that people had been shot. Her call was abruptly ended by a man who stated, "Sorry, I didn't mean to call you."
Law enforcement from Newton, North Newton, Hesston, and Harvey County converged on the residence, a location known to them through previous contact with the suspect, David Montano. A pickup truck parked nearby was recognized as his. Witnesses at the scene informed the officers that Montano had fled the house armed with a double-barrel shotgun and a handgun, possibly equipped with night vision goggles. As officers secured the area, they discovered at least one of the victims inside the home. The motive for this violent outburst was hinted at by a witness who was forced to accompany Montano to the house. This witness recounted a chilling statement made by Montano: "Mother Earth is thirsty, she needs blood."
While investigating the triple homicide, two officers, Corporal Levi Minkevitch and Corporal Tony Hawpe, heard footsteps outside the house. They spotted a shirtless man in black pants and a white bandana, whom they identified as Montano, running away from the scene. The officers pursued him, and when he finally stopped, they issued multiple commands for him to show his hands. Montano raised his left hand but continued to swing a shotgun in his right. Despite being called by name and ordered to drop the weapon, he yelled something unintelligible at the officers and pointed his left hand at Corporal Hawpe. In that tense moment, Corporal Minkevitch fired multiple shots, fatally wounding Montano.
Beneath Montano's body, officers discovered a black pump-style shotgun with a sawed-off barrel and a pistol grip, along with a large fixed-blade knife at his hip. Montano, who had a history of drug distribution and violence towards law enforcement, was pronounced dead at Newton Medical Center from gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen. Following an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Harvey County Attorney announced that Corporal Minkevitch's actions were justified, stating that the use of lethal force was warranted to neutralize an immediate and imminent threat to himself, his fellow officers, and the citizen survivors at the scene. The officer's decisive action likely prevented further loss of innocent lives that night.
