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On Tuesday, January 25th, 2022, 17-year-old Jaden Montelongo was arrested for criminal negligent homicide.

About two weeks beforehand on Thursday, January 13th, Lubbock police officers responded to the 4900 block of 9th Street. There, they found Austin Cruz suffering from a gunshot wound.

According to police, Montelongo and Cruz were laying on the bed watching a video on his phone. Cruz was on the floor to the south of the bed when Montelongo heard a pop. He then saw Cruz with a gunshot wound to his mouth.

Montelongo said that the gun was under the mattress when it went off, but a witness told a bit of a different story.

KAMC News reports that the witness saw Montelongo and Cruz playing with the gun, pointing it at each other at instances. The witness says the last time they knew where the gun was, it had been on the dresser next to Montelongo.

Police obtained Instagram records and found a message from Montelongo that indicated he had murdered Cruz. His message said that he picked up the gun and removed the magazine right when it went off.

It's said that Montelongo was arrested at the Lubbock County Detention Center, so it's unclear whether or not he turned himself in. His bond was set at $50,000.

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