Main, left to right: Jose Montoya and Judith Ramirez (Shelby County Jail). Background: Tequila Town Bar (Google Maps).
A married couple in Tennessee were arrested over the weekend for allegedly shooting a woman in the back of the head at a restaurant after they were reportedly booted from the establishment for acting “irate.”
Jose Montoya, 27, and his wife, 26-year-old Judith Ramirez, were both taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count each of attempted first-degree murder, employing a firearm in the commission of a felony, and vandalism between $10,000 and $60,000, court records show.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, just after midnight on June 15, 2025, officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to reports of an aggravated assault at Tequila Town Bar in the 700 block of North Whitestation Road. Upon arrival, first responders spoke with a male who had been working security at the time the alleged incident occurred.
The security guard said he was working late Saturday evening when the bar’s owner told him Montoya was “acting irate inside the establishment.” When the security guard approached Montoya and told him he needed to “calm down,” Montoya allegedly “became aggressive” toward the guard, who then “escorted him outside of the establishment with his wife, later identified as Ramirez.
“During the Escort, Montoya said ‘Y’all done f— up now,”” the affidavit states. “Judith advised that she opened the door, and Montoya retrieved a firearm from the vehicle. [The security guard] advised that he observed Jose go to his vehicle, retrieve a firearm, and begin firing shots at him. [The security guard] returned fire in self-defense. During the shooting, Montoya reloaded his firearm multiple times and continued shooting at [The security guard]. Both Ramirez and Montoya fled the scene without rendering aid to the victim.”
The couple fled in a gray 2025 Kia SUV with Tennessee license plates, police said.
Staff at the bar also informed police that a female patron had been “shot in the back of the head” during the confrontation. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Police did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Law&Crime regarding the victim’s current condition.
In addition to the victim injured, multiple cars in the area were struck by bullets fired by Montoya, police said.
Investigators were able to locate the couple after spotting their car in the driveway of a residence in the 3000 block of Josibpet Lane. Police searched the vehicle and recovered multiple spent bullet casings, authorities said. In a pickup truck at the same address, police said they recovered a black and green handgun believed to have been used in the shooting.
Montoya and Ramirez were both found inside the home and taken into custody. The duo is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail without bond. They are scheduled to appear for a hearing in the matter on Tuesday morning.
