A family baptism celebration in Texas turned violent when a 19-year-old man allegedly shot the father of the baby being celebrated, according to police.
Leonardo Asis Campos Torres, 19, was taken into custody in the early hours of July 27 after gunfire erupted at the family gathering.
Authorities say Torres got into a heated dispute with 35-year-old Cristian Gabriel Montes, who was celebrating the baptism of his young son. The confrontation reportedly stemmed from allegations that Torres had fired a handgun at Montes’ vehicle earlier in the evening.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by KDFW, several witnesses identified Torres as the shooter. They described a verbal altercation that quickly escalated when Torres allegedly pulled out a firearm and opened fire.
Police confirmed that Torres and Montes were related and had both attended the baptism event.
Montes suffered at least two gunshot wounds — one to the chest and another to the back — according to medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center. Police noted in their report that the second shot may have struck Montes while he was walking away, turning, or falling.
At the scene, investigators recovered multiple spent shell casings near a Chevrolet Tahoe.
Torres was arrested by Balch Springs police and booked into Dallas County Jail. After being read his Miranda rights, he allegedly confessed to the shooting but claimed he acted in self-defense. Torres told officers he only fired after Montes attacked him.
Torres’ booking photo shows the teenager with visible facial injuries, including two black eyes and bruising. Authorities have not confirmed how he sustained those injuries.
