On Wednesday morning, a Montana father and mother were shot and murdered, and their daughter was seriously wounded in Pryor, Montana, when they emulated the Good Samaritan and attempted to help Jesus Deniz Mendoza, 18, whose car was stopped on the side of the road on the Crow Indian Reservation.
Jorah Shane, 24, the daughter of Tana Shane, 50, and Jason Shane Jr., 52, said her mother “came to her house and told her that there was a guy that needed assistance.” When the family returned to help Mendoza, after purchasing gas for him, he pulled out a gun and told them to exit their car. The FBI stated that Mendoza ordered them to give up any money, but they had none.
According to the Jorah Shane, Mendoza ordered them to walk away and leave their car behind. The daughter heard gunfire and turned to see Jason Shane Jr. on the ground. She then heard another gunshot and heard Tana scream, prompting the daughter to take off running despite the fact that she felt her face bleeding from a gunshot wound. Then another bullet struck her in the back.
Jorah escaped to a nearby school where she was able to get help. She was able to take family members back to the scene of the shooting, and then she was taken to a Billings hospital.
Mendoza was discovered later in the day by a Park County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Meeteetse, Wyoming. He told the FBI he “shot the victims because he was getting tired of waiting around, and because the daughter laughed at him.”
Mendoza is expected in federal court Friday.
The Shanes are survived by two sons and five daughters; their youngest just graduated high school.