Kian Manuel Banderas was a 20-year-old Hispanic/Latino father from Billings, Montana, raised by his great-grandmother and aunt. He played football and basketball growing up and enjoyed swimming in the Yellowstone River. At the time of his death he was raising two children; his own son had just turned one on the day Kian was killed.

On the evening of April 29, 2023, a traveling carnival in a car dealership parking lot on 1st Avenue North drew members of rival gangs, the Lash Money gang and the Parkway gang. As crowds dispersed, Kian was leaving in a Honda Accord after picking up friends when youths began throwing rocks at his car. He turned into an alleyway and at least seven gunshots were fired into the vehicle. Kian was struck in the neck; an autopsy confirmed the bullet severed his carotid artery and ruled the death a homicide. A passenger sustained an arm wound.

Billings Police conducted more than 70 interviews, executed numerous search warrants, and reviewed surveillance footage. Charges were brought against four individuals: three teenagers charged with deliberate homicide or with accountability, and a 19-year-old charged with tampering with evidence. All three juveniles pleaded not guilty and the cases remain pending trial as of February 2024.

If anyone was at the carnival that night or has information about the shooting, please come forward.