On the night of February 23, 2017, three men were found dead from single gunshot wounds inside a home at 2111 N. Spencer Road on the rural outskirts of Newton, Kansas. One of the victims was Michael John Lemons, 34, a Caucasian male. A 911 call came in at 12:32 a.m.; the call was cut off when a man said sorry, I didn’t mean to call you. Responding officers learned the suspect, identified as David Montano, fled the house armed with a double-barrel shotgun and a handgun. A witness who had been forced to accompany Montano reported he said Mother Earth is thirsty, she needs blood.

Officers pursued a shirtless man they identified as Montano as he ran from the scene. When he stopped, he raised a left hand while swinging a shotgun in his right and did not comply with repeated commands to drop the weapon. Corporal Levi Minkevitch fired multiple shots, killing Montano. A sawed-off black pump-style shotgun and a large fixed-blade knife were found beneath Montano’s body. The Harvey County Attorney later concluded the use of lethal force was justified.