Two teenagers and two juveniles were not just armed with a rifle when they planned a shooting at Donna High School, they were also armed with intent, according to a probable cause affidavit.
That document shines new light into the allegations against Nathaniel Montelongo and Barbarito Pantoja, both 17, who were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon along with two juveniles after Donna police received information on a “credible” threat that they planned to shoot multiple people at the high school.
Police received information about that threat through an anonymous tip on May 24 — the same day as the massacre at a Uvalde elementary school that left 21 dead.
The anonymous tip said Montelongo and another male were planning a school shooting, according to the affidavit, which said that police followed up on May 25 and conducted a non-custodial interview with Montelongo at Donna High School.
“Nathaniel 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 that was to take place on Friday, June 3,” the affidavit stated.
That would have been the last day of school.
During the interview, the affidavit said Montelongo told police that he, along with Pantoja and a juvenile, planned to enter the school that day and shoot multiple people.
Donna Independent School District police then detained Pantoja and took him to the Donna Police Department where he corroborated Montelongo’s story and implicated himself by providing a detailed explanation of his role in the planned school shooting, according to the affidavit.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Pantoja’s residence, which the affidavit said is where investigators recovered documents pertinent to the planning and execution of the shooting.
A Monitor source previously said police found a hit list, but during a press conference police said there was no such list.
The affidavit does not describe the nature of the documents police found, it only says they are pertinent to the case.
The investigation also resulted in the arrest of two juveniles whose identity is not being disclosed.
“During the location and detention of one of the juvenile subjects, a rifle and body armor were recovered,” the affidavit stated.
The same newspaper source also said police found an AK-47 on May 25, but officials declined to provide the press with any details about weapons, including whether they were seized, saying the information was critical to the case and will not be disseminated.
The affidavit said that both of the juveniles also implicated themselves in the preparation and planned execution in collaboration with Montelongo and Pantoja.
Both Montelongo and Pantoja remain jailed at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on $750,000 bonds.
However, an attorney representing Pantoja, is seeking to reduce his client’s bond through a court hearing scheduled for next week.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to change its photo, which now shows Donna High School.
