KILLEEN, TX - A 22-year-old woman has been charged with murder following the fatal shooting of a man Monday night in Killeen, police said.
Officers were dispatched at approximately 7:42 p.m. February 9, 2026, to the 2700 block of Cunningham Road for a reported gunshot victim. Upon arrival, they found a man on the front porch of an apartment suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was transported to Carl R. Darnall Medical Center in critical condition.
The victim, identified as Brandon Richards, later died from his injuries.
According to the preliminary investigation, a 9-1-1 caller reported that Richards had been shot and that the suspect fled the area.
Detectives with the Robbery-Homicide Unit identified Natalia Lamontiara Trader, 22, as a suspect. On February 11, detectives presented the case to the Bell County District Attorney’s Office, which filed criminal complaints charging Trader with Murder and Tampering with or Fabricating Physical Evidence.
Bell County Magistrate Anthony Woolstrum set bond at $1 million for the murder charge and $50,000 for the tampering charge. Trader is awaiting transport to the Bell County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing.
