Man accused of fatally shooting woman, wounding her son in Mesa parking lot

PHOENIX – A man was arrested Monday for allegedly fatally shooting a woman and wounding her adult son in a Mesa parking lot, authorities said.

Kenneth Montgomery, 65, was booked on counts of second-degree murder, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm at a structure, the Mesa Police Department said in a press release Tuesday.

He is accused of killing 61-year-old Antoinette Leotta and injuring 27-year-old Albert Leotta. The suspect was a stranger to the victims, police said.

Albert Leotta called 911 around 9:30 a.m. Monday to report the shooting outside a business on Greenfield Road just north of Baseline Road.

The Leottas were parked next to each other in separate vehicles at the time.

Antoinette Leotta was pronounced dead at the scene, and Albert Leotta was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds that aren’t considered life-threatening.

Ten 9mm casings were found at the scene, according to court records.

Witness described seeing a man fleeing the scene in an older model white pickup truck after the shooting.

The description matched a prior service call, leading police to identify Montgomery as the suspect.

Montgomery was located and arrested around 11:20 a.m. after he tried climbing into the bed of somebody’s pickup truck in the Bush Highway area, according to court documents.

Police said they found Montgomery’s truck near the Butcher Jones Recreation site, with a bloody handgun lying on the dashboard.

After being read his rights, Montgomery acknowledged his role in the shooting, according to the probable cause statement.

Montgomery was being held on a $1 million bond, police said.

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