Roommate shoots, kills 18-year-old on doorstep over unpaid rent, Texas cops say

A man killed his 18-year-old roommate in a shooting witnessed by the victim’s family, Texas authorities say.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Angel Gomez Montanez was taken into custody June 15, three days after the fatal shooting of Christopher Rodriguez Lara.

Witnesses to the June 12 shooting at the Houston apartment said Gomez Montanez arrived at the home just after 10 p.m., and Rodriguez Lara came to the front door to talk to him, according to a criminal complaint.

Rodriguez Lara told Gomez Montanez he needed to pay his rent money, leading Gomez Montanez to shoot the 18-year-old, who collapsed on the porch, deputies said.

Gomez Montanez, 21, had been living in the home for free for several months, according to the victim’s brother-in-law and accused shooter’s former step-mother, who told KTRK she had asked him to start paying.

“I told him this can’t be happening. We have bills to pay,” Zuleyka Ortiz told KTRK.

Gomez Montanez also tried to shoot the victim’s brother, authorities said, but the gun malfunctioned.

A 9-year-old witness chased after the accused gunman with a rock and hid when he saw him running back toward the home armed with the gun, according to the criminal complaint. The boy said he heard Gomez Montanez fire a second shot, which authorities said was aimed at Rodriguez Lara’s brother.

“I’m going to kill all of them,” the boy recalled Gomez Montanez saying, according to deputies.

Rodriguez Lara was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

“He was the happiness in this home,” Ortiz said of Rodriguez Lara. “My children loved him.”

The sheriff said Gomez Montanez fled after the shooting before being captured several days later. He has been charged with murder.

This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Roommate shoots, kills 18-year-old on doorstep over unpaid rent, Texas cops say."