Mariano J. Baca, 26, was fatally shot on September 2, 2021, in the late afternoon in the parking lot of Paul’s Motel on Lake Worth Road in Greenacres, Florida. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office identified 35-year-old Jessica Montanez of Boynton Beach as the suspect and charged her with first-degree murder with a firearm. Surveillance footage reportedly captured the moment Montanez fired the shot that killed Baca as he was retreating toward the motel.

Investigators say the dispute involved Baca, Montanez, and another unidentified man. Montanez told officers Baca had threatened to shoot at her vehicle, though she did not see him armed; she intervened to stop the argument and then fired as Baca became loud and aggressive but did not physically approach her before she shot him.

Are there witnesses who saw the altercation in the motel parking lot or who can account for what led up to the shooting?