What began as a family celebration for a baptism ended in bloodshed when a violent fight left one man dead and a 19-year-old relative facing a murder charge.
Cristian Gabriel Montes, 35, was shot and killed just after midnight on July 27, 2025, when a fight broke out at the celebration, according to the Balch Springs Police Department.
When officers arrived at the Balch Springs home, just south of Dallas, Texas, they found Montes with multiple gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead.
Leonardo Asis Campos Torres, 19, was arrested at the scene after witnesses at the party identified him as the alleged shooter.
Police released a mugshot of Campos this week that shows the condition of his bloodied and bruised face following the fight that night.
Both men were family members attending the baptism of Montesâ son, FOX4 reported. Their relationship was not clear.
The fight broke out after Montes confronted Campos for allegedly firing a handgun earlier in the evening near his parked vehicle, investigators said. Witnesses said the argument escalated into a fistfight before Campos pulled a gun.
âAfter being read his Miranda rights, Campos admitted to shooting Montes, claiming he acted in self-defense after being physically assaulted,â police said.
Campos allegedly told officers he grabbed a 9mm handgun during the struggle and opened fire.
Doctors at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas later confirmed Montes had been shot at least twice, once in the upper chest and once in the back, suggesting he may have been hit while turning away or falling.
Investigators also recovered multiple spent shell casings near a Chevrolet Tahoe outside the home.
Campos is currently in the Dallas County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
