Texas maintenance worker shot dead while checking frozen pipes after being mistaken for burglar

Cesar Montelongo was shot in Grand Prairie as he looked at waterlines on a balcony

Cesar Montelongo (WFAA)

A Texas maintenance worker was fatally shot after being mistaken for a burglar as he checked on frozen pipes at an apartment complex.

Police say that 53-year-old Cesar Montelongo was shot in Grand Prairie as he looked at waterlines on a balcony in frigid temperatures.

Officials say that the resident thought his apartment was being burgled and shot the victim through the window of the apartment.

Montelongo was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to WFAA.

Police say that the shooter remained at the scene, cooperated with detectives and was not arrested.

An investigation is ongoing and the case will be referred to a grand jury in Tarrant County for review, say officials.

“We don’t know who the suspect is. We don’t know what state they were in. We just know that that happened,” the victim’s son, Cesar Montelongo Jr, told WFAA.

“My dad was a huge man of faith. My mother is a huge woman of faith. And so we’re just believing and trying to get through it.”