Former Possessed guitarist Brian Montana killed in stand-off with police in San Francisco
Brian Montana, the early guitarist for the long-standing death metal band Possessed, was killed in a standoff with San Francisco police on April 28th. He was 60 years old.
Montana was a member of Possessed from 1983 to 1984. While he didn’t perform on any studio albums, his playing can be heard on the band’s 1984 demo, Death Metal.
The incident that led to his demise began when Montana got into an argument over a tree that was spilling branches and leaves into his property. Montana started shooting firearms during the disagreement.
When police arrived at the scene, Montana began shooting at them, too. They returned fire to kill the musician. According to local authorities, Montana was under the influence of alcohol during the deadly dispute.
“On the shooter’s side, there was some alcohol involved,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe stated. “His death is a tragedy, but it’s fortunate that nobody else wasn’t hit or injured more seriously.”
A press release from the South San Francisco Police Department was released. It begins with the notification that “the investigation is still active. Information could change as the investigation continues.”
It tells that the “Police Department received a 911 call regarding an active disturbance where a suspect was brandishing a firearm at a neighbor on the 300 block of Arroyo Drive.”
It continued: “Officers began arriving on scene at 5:55 pm and immediately requested additional units because the suspect with the firearm was now actively shooting into an occupied residence. The suspect then re-positioned himself into a driveway of that neighboring residence and concealed his location behind parked vehicles while still armed.”
The statement then details Montana falling into a methodical rampage within the shoot-out. The press release recounts: “Over the next 25 minutes, the suspect armed himself with three different types of firearms (handgun, shotgun, and rifle) and fired at officers from different locations within the driveway while seeking cover and concealment using both vehicles in the driveway and landscaping.”
Eventually, the police managed to”strike the suspect”, and he was quickly “found to be non-responsive”. Though life-saving measures were performed, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The document also recounted that another person sustained an injury due to the shoot-out: “One resident from the home that the suspect was shooting at sustained a non-life threatening injury and was transported to a local trauma hospital.”
The officers who were involved in the shooting did not sustain any injuries. “We are able to confirm there are two officers who fired their weapons,” the press release reads. “Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, as is customary in Officer Involved Shooting protocols.”
Possessed have since acknowledged Montana’s passing in a social media post, writing, “Rest in Peace, Brian Montana,” alongside a photo of the guitarist on their Facebook account.
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