Man arrested after woman killed, adult son shot outside a Mesa store

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A man has been arrested after a deadly shooting outside a Mesa store Monday morning. Police say the suspect, 65-year-old Kenneth Montgomery, and the victims didn’t know each other.

Around 9:30 a.m. Monday, 27-year-old Albert Leotta called 911 to report that he and his mother, 61-year-old Antoinette Leotta, had been shot in the parking lot of a Hobby Lobby store near Greenfield and Baseline Roads. Police say the two were in separate vehicles parked next to each other when the shooting occurred.

Antoinette was taken out of her vehicle by medics and was pronounced dead. Albert was taken to a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds to both legs, per police documents. Montgomery drove away before police arrived. Witnesses described Montgomery and the pickup truck to police, and an officer recognized the description as Montgomery from a previous, unrelated call.

Nearly two hours after the shooting, Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies found Montgomery reportedly climbing into the bed of a stranger’s pickup truck in the area of Bush Highway, northeast of Mesa, and arrested him. Police say his truck was found near the Butcher Jones Recreation Site, where investigators found a bloody handgun on the dashboard.

Court documents say Montgomery admitted to buying ammunition shortly before the shooting then went to the parking lot looking for two cars he “thought were involved in prior criminal activity.” He told investigators that he parked his truck in front of the victims’ vehicles and “unloaded” his gun, shooting as many bullets that were loaded. Officers found ten 9mm shell casings at the scene.

When asked if he intended to kill the two, documents say Montgomery responded with “G***amn right. Anybody would have” and said he didn’t feel guilty after having decided to shoot them earlier that morning. Police say Montgomery and the victims did not know each other.

Montgomery was booked into the Maricopa County jail on various charges including second-degree murder and aggravated assault. He’s being held on a $1,000,000 bond.

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