Broken-down motorist who 'shot dead a couple and wounded their daughter' after they stopped to help said he killed them because 'the girl laughed at me'

  • Jesus Deniz , 18, is accused of killing Jason Shane, 51, and Tana Shane, 47, and injuring their daughter, Jorah Shane, 26, on Wednesday
  • The family were gunned down just south of Pryor, Montana, after they had allegedly stopped to help Deniz, who said he was out of gas
  • After he accepted a ride to a local store for gas, Deniz allegedly tried to rob them and then shot at the family
  • He told investigators that he opened fire because he was 'tired of waiting around' and because Jorah Shane 'had laughed at him' FBI officials said
  • The case is being investigated by the Indian Bureau of Affairs as the family are part of a tribe 
  • Immigration officials confirmed Deniz is a permanent U.S. resident  

An 18-year-old Wyoming man accused of robbing and shooting three members of a family after asking for roadside help told investigators he opened fire after one of the victims laughed at him, an FBI agent said in a court filing Thursday.

Jason Shane, 51, and Tana Shane, 47, died in the Wednesday shooting in the small town of Pryor, Montana, FBI spokesman Todd Palmer said.

Their daughter, 26-year-old Jorah Shane, was shot in the back when she tried to run away, and she is recovering in a Billings hospital, the woman's aunt, Ada Shane, said. The family are reportedly part of the Whistling Water tribe, the Crow Nation's largest clan.

The statement by Special Agent Larry McGrail II was filed in U.S. District Court seeking a murder warrant for Jesus Deniz, also known as Jesus Deniz Mendoza, of Worland, Wyoming. 

Tana Shane, 47, and her husband Jason, 51, were killed, and daughter, Jorah, 26, was shot in the head and back, but managed to escape, after they assisted a broken down motorist in Pyror, Montana (scene pictured)

Tana Shane, 47, and her husband Jason, 51, were killed, and daughter, Jorah, 26, was shot in the head and back, but managed to escape, after they assisted a broken down motorist in Pyror, Montana (scene pictured)

Jesus Deniz Mendoza, 18, was detained in Wyoming by the FBI. He is accused of killing the couple and shooting their daughter after they took him to a nearby store so he could pick up gas 

Jesus Deniz Mendoza, 18, was detained in Wyoming by the FBI. He is accused of killing the couple and shooting their daughter after they took him to a nearby store so he could pick up gas 

Two FBI agents interviewed Deniz on Wednesday, and Deniz acknowledged shooting three people with a .22 caliber rifle and then driving away in their car, McGrail's statement said.

'Deniz told the interviewing agents that he shot the victims because he was getting tired of waiting around, and because the daughter had laughed at him,' the statement said.

Deniz is being held in Park County, Wyoming, after police arrested him near Meeteetse, about 120 miles away from Pryor.

A judge's signed warrant would begin the process of returning Deniz to Montana to face charges in the killing.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby scheduled an initial court appearance for Deniz on Friday.

Immigration officials confirmed Deniz is a permanent US resident and entered the country legally in 2013.

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told KULR said: 'This individual does not have any criminal convictions, and, as a permanent resident, is not currently removable. Thus, an ICE detainer cannot be placed on the individual at this time. 

'However, ICE is closely monitoring this case and coordinating with local authorities. If he is convicted for a criminal offense that allows him to be removed from the country, after the completion of sentence, ICE intends to take him into custody and pursue his removal from the United States.

'The Administration has set enforcement priorities to make sure our resources are focused on apprehending and removing convicted criminals, gang members, recent border crossers, and the most significant threats to public safety and national security. 

'Through the Priority Enforcement Program, we are working with state and local law enforcement every day to ensure that these individuals are taken into federal custody to be removed from the country. These efforts to keep our communities safe and our nation secure are essential to our mission.'

Jorah Shane recounted to her relatives the events leading to the shooting. Her mother, Tana Shane, drove by a young man parked on the side of the road who told her he had run out of fuel, Ada Shane said.

'He's only 18, and he looked like an innocent boy,' Ada Shane said. 'Both my brother and sister-in-law have big hearts.'

Tana Shane went by her house, picked up her husband and daughter, and they drove back to the stranded car, Ada Shane said. The man pulled a gun and held it to the temple of 51-year-old Jason Shane. 

Courtesy KTVQ

The usually desolate road in the Montana town was filled with grieving loved ones. A suspect was arrested hours later in Wyoming

The usually desolate road in the Montana town was filled with grieving loved ones. A suspect was arrested hours later in Wyoming

He ordered the father to stop the car and told everybody to get out, Ada Shane said. He told the family to give him their money, but the family said they had only change because they recently returned from a religious revival in Window Rock, Arizona.

The man told the family to start walking. Tana Shane told her daughter in their Native American language to run.

Jorah Shane told her aunt that she heard a shot, started running then heard bullets whizzing by her head. She fell, heard another shot, and started running again toward a church just as a car was pulling out.

She ran to the car, and the frightened driver leaped out, Ada Shane said.

Jorah Shane jumped in the driver's seat and drove to her house with the shooter still firing at her, the aunt said.

McGrail's statement largely confirmed the account by Ada Shane, though it did not name the victims and it said the driver who stopped near the church got out of the car to check on the woman's parents.

Jorah Shane was later hospitalized. A bullet had grazed her head and she had a gunshot wound to the back. She didn't know as of Thursday that her parents had been killed in the shooting, Ada Shane said.

'Last night before she went in, she told everyone to go look for her mom, she's hiding in the field,' Ada Shane said.

A man puts his arm over the shoulder of another as they talk to a police officer on the road outside the small town. Relatives of the family said they were shot after taking the suspect to the nearest store for gas

A man puts his arm over the shoulder of another as they talk to a police officer on the road outside the small town. Relatives of the family said they were shot after taking the suspect to the nearest store for gas

The aunt said relatives have kept the hospital room's television off and she doesn't know how they will break the news to her.

Palmer, the FBI spokesman, declined to identify Jorah Shane as the wounded person, saying the FBI does not provide information about potential witnesses.

It is not clear whether Deniz has an attorney. Park County court officials said a hearing had not been set for Deniz.

Messages left on two phone numbers listed under Deniz's name were not returned.

A source in the Big Corn County Attorney's Office told the Daily Mail Online they believed Deniz was an American citizen of Hispanic decent.

He added the department would investigate why Deniz was in the area

Park County sheriff's spokesman Lance Mathess said his agency has been instructed by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs not to release any information on Deniz.

An officer spoke briefly with the wounded person, who was reportedly incoherent when taken to a hospital, Big Horn County Undersheriff Bart Elliott said.

'The victim that was transported to the emergency room really doesn't know what's going on,' Elliott said.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call about the shooting, along with officials from the Montana Highway Patrol, FBI and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

About 12,000 tribal members live on the Crow reservation. Tribal law enforcement officials referred questions to the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Justice Services, which declined to comment. 

The town of about 600 people is part of the Crow reservation, which is home to approximately 12,000 tribal members

The town of about 600 people is part of the Crow reservation, which is home to approximately 12,000 tribal members

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