Teen shot dead after helping friend stop man assaulting his mom, Texas cops say

A Texas man is accused of assaulting the mother of his child, then returning to kill a teenage boy who helped protect her, police said.

Victor Javier Orellana Carranza, 38, went to the woman’s home — on Austin’s south side — on the morning of Sunday, May 4, looking for his 2-year-old son, the police department said in a news release.

Carranza attacked the woman, but her 17-year-old son and his 15-year-old friend stepped in to stop him, “which resulted in a physical altercation between the three of them,” police said.

The 17-year-old is Carranza’s stepson, and his friend, identified as Neithan Jadiel Montenegro, was sleeping over at the home when Carranza showed up, KXAN reported.

Carranza left the home but threatened to come back — and he did, according to police. At about 6:40 a.m., he opened fire on both teens, hitting Montenegro.

Officers arrived to find Montenegro with multiple gunshot wounds, and despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at 7:08 a.m., police said.

Carranza tried to escape by fleeing the country, but was caught and arrested by Austin police, the department said. He was booked into the Travis County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder.

This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Teen shot dead after helping friend stop man assaulting his mom, Texas cops say."