Former Donna High School students get probation for planning school shooting

The two Donna High School teenagers who conspired to shoot up their school in 2022 pleaded guilty on Monday and were sentenced to 10 years probation, according to court documents.

Nathaniel Seth Montelongo and Barbarito Guillermo Pantoja, both 19, admitted to charges of conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.

The two were initially charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Donna police received information on a “credible” threat that they planned to shoot multiple people at the high school, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police received the tip on May 24, 2022, the same day as the massacre at the Uvalde elementary school that left 21 dead.

The anonymous tip said that Montelongo and another male were planning a school shooting, which was followed up by police.

“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.

It would’ve been the last day of school.

During the interview, Montelongo stated that he, along with Pantoja and a juvenile, planned to enter the school and shoot multiple people.

Donna Independent School District police then detained Pantoja and he was taken to the Donna Police Department where he implicated himself by corroborating Montelongo’s story and providing details regarding his role in the planned school shooting.

A search of Pantoja’s residence yielded the discovery of documents pertinent to the planning and execution of the shooting, according to the affidavit.

Montelongo and Pantoja had two juvenile accomplices who were also arrested, yet their identities weren’t disclosed in the affidavit.

“During the location and detention of one of the juvenile subjects, a rifle and body armor were recovered,” the affidavit said.

The affidavit also stated that both juveniles implicated themselves in the preparation and planned execution of the shooting.

Montelongo and Pantoja were jailed on May 26, 2022 and were later released on Sept. 27 and Dec. 19, respectively, the following year.