Nehemiah Isaac Montano was a 15-year-old sophomore at Portales High School, remembered in his obituary as a people person who always had lots of friends around him. On the night of Friday, March 10, 2023, he was at a residence on South Roosevelt Road 3 in Roosevelt County when his grandmother heard a gunshot coming from inside the home. She found Nehemiah in the den, holding his stomach where he had been shot.

Nehemiah’s grandfather drove him to Roosevelt General Hospital, and medical personnel worked for several hours, but Nehemiah was pronounced deceased at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023. Before he died, he was able to tell police officers who had shot him. The investigation led to another 15-year-old boy, who was taken into custody; court records say the teen told investigators he was cleaning his gun when it accidentally fired, striking Nehemiah. The unnamed teen was charged with involuntary manslaughter and was in a juvenile facility as the case moved through the legal process.

A fundraising account was set up by Nehemiah’s family to help with unexpected funeral expenses, and his funeral service was held on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at the First Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Portales. If anyone has information about what happened that night or knew Nehemiah, please share what you know with the appropriate authorities.