Suspect in Montana family shooting is Wyoming 18-year-old

Bryce Hugs, of Pryor, told The Billings Gazette (http://bit.ly/1H3J5OG ) that his aunt, Tana Shane, drove by a man who had run out of gas just south of town.

The usually desolate Pryor Gap Road was filled with emotion Wednesday afternoon as loved ones mourned the loss of two family members.

A nephew of the Shanes said the couple spotted a man stranded along the side of the road in his vehicle. They stopped and took him to the store for gasoline just a quarter of a mile away.

Mendoza is being held at the jail in Park County, Wyo.

According to the family, Mendoza shot and killed the couple and also shot at their 25-year-old daughter who was able to escape and get help. It grazed her in the head, and when she took off, (he) shot her in the back.’. As of Wednesday evening, the status of her condition was unknown.

The report said the suspect’s identity was witheld at the request of the lead investigation agency.

An Federal Bureau of Investigation official says two people died in a shooting on the Crow Reservation in southeastern Montana and a suspect has been arrested. Authorities later called in a helicopter to help in the search for the 2006 silver Pontiac that belonged to the victims.

Because the suspect was considered armed and unsafe at the time, the deputy did not conduct a stop, and waited for backup from a trooper with the Wyoming Highway Patrol. He was reportedly taken into custody without incident.

The suspect of the double homicide in Pryor has been confirmed and identified as Jesus Deniz Mendoza, 18, of Worland, Wyo.

Mrs Shane drove past Deniz, who lives in the Wyoming town of Worland, and returned home to pick up her spouse and daughter so they could help him. Tribal law enforcement officials referred questions to the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services, which declined to comment. A suspect was arrested hours later in Wyoming.

Locals argue, however, a bigger law enforcement presence is needed along the Pryor Gap Road as it serves as corridor between Montana and Wyoming.