Previously deported man charged after firing rifle at neighbors near Houston
A Mexican man who was previously deported from the United States is facing a federal gun charge after allegedly firing an AR-style rifle at people northeast of Houston, in a shooting that was initially reported as an active shooter incident, according to prosecutors. One person was injured.
The incident happened on Saturday in Kings Colony, a neighborhood in East Montgomery County near Roman Forest, about 30 miles northeast of Houston, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said 60-year-old Juan Ayala-Montero had been making threats after an argument with a group of people. The complaint alleges that he walked to his house, returned with a rifle and first fired at the ground before aiming toward the group and firing several times.
One victim suffered gunshot wounds to his torso and head, according to the complaint. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office previously identified the victim as 17-year-old Uziel Samano, who was treated and released from a local hospital.
Several 911 callers initially reported multiple victims, leading officials to describe the scene as an active shooter incident with multiple people shot. Investigators later determined that Samano was the only person struck, and he has been charged with false report to a peace officer.
When authorities arrived, they heard gunshots coming from the residence and began rescuing people, prosecutors said. Additional officers responded and Ayala-Montero was taken into custody.
Authorities recovered an Olympic Arms .223 AR-style rifle with a scope in Ayala-Montero’s bedroom and about 30 spent .223 casings at the scene, according to prosecutors.
Ayala-Montero is charged in federal court with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said he is not lawfully present in the United States and had been removed in 2006, with no legal authority to reenter the country.
If convicted, Ayala-Montero faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Ayala-Montero was already in custody on a related state charge after being booked on felony deadly conduct by discharging a firearm, according to the sheriff’s office. His bond in that case was set at $80,000.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
