Cristian Gabriel Montes, 35, of Balch Springs, was shot and killed during a family celebration just after midnight on July 27, 2025. Officers were called to a home on the 3900 block of Peachtree Road during a gathering for his son’s baptism and his daughter’s birthday; Montes was found with gunshot wounds and taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

According to an arrest affidavit referenced by local reporters, the dispute began earlier when a 19-year-old relative was seen firing a handgun near a parked vehicle. When Montes confronted him, a verbal argument turned to a fistfight and the younger man produced a firearm. Medical staff documented at least two gunshot wounds to the upper chest and back, which investigators said could indicate shots fired as Montes turned or fell. Detectives recovered multiple spent shell casings near a Chevrolet Tahoe.

Police identified the shooter as 19-year-old Leonardo Asis Campos Torres; witnesses at the party pointed to him, and he admitted to firing the shots after being read his rights but claimed self-defense. He was arrested at the scene on a murder charge and later bonded out of the Dallas County Jail as the case proceeded. Family and friends remembered Montes as a devoted father who had been singing to his daughter before the confrontation. If anyone at the gathering or nearby that night has information about what happened, please come forward.