DONNA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The trial for two teens accused of planning a school shooting at Donna High School has been scheduled.
Barbarito Pantoja, 18, and Nathaniel Seth Montelongo, 18, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons, according to Hidalgo County records.
A trial on merits has been scheduled for March 20 after initially being cancelled in January, records show.
On May 24, 2022, detectives received an anonymous tip that two men were planning a school shooting at Donna High School, a probable cause affidavit stated.
The tip identified one of the suspects as Montelongo. The following day, detectives met with Montelongo at the high school for an interview.
“[Montelongo] confirmed the legitimacy of the threat by implicating himself in the preparation and provided a detailed explanation of his role in the planned execution of a school shooting at the Donna High School,” the affidavit stated.
Montelongo told the detective the school shooting was planned for Friday, June, 3, 2022.
The document shows during the interview, Montelongo said that he, along with Pantoja and a juvenile, planned to enter the school on the last day and shoot multiple people with firearms. Pantoja was then detained and also interviewed.
According to the document, Pantoja implicated himself and provided a detail explanation of his role in the school shooting, and also mentioned a second juvenile suspect.
Authorities obtained consent to search Pantoja’s home where they recovered “documents pertinent to the planning and execution of the school shooting,” the affidavit stated.
While locating and detaining the juveniles, police recovered a rifle and body armor, according to the document. The two juveniles then also implicated themselves in the planned school shooting.
The indictment for the two teenagers accused them of planning to shoot employees and students at the school, and “conducting reconnaissance to map the layout of the school,” obtaining or attempting to obtain firearms and developing a plan to carry out the attack.
Pantoja and Montelongo remain jailed on $750,000 bonds.
