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A death metal guitarist has been shot and killed by police in San Francisco in a lengthy standoff after a dispute with a neighbour over a tree.
Authorities identified former Possessed band member Brian Montana, 60, as the man involved in the shooting in South San Francisco on Monday evening.
The South San Francisco Police Department said officers were called to a home on Arroyo Drive over a suspect “brandishing a firearm at a neighbour”.
Officers arrived at 5.55pm but immediately called for backup because the suspect was shooting into an occupied home, police said.
Montana then moved to a neighbouring driveway and hid behind parked vehicles while armed with a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle, and police said a 25-minute gunfight with police ensued as Montana fired at officers from different positions on the driveway and sought cover behind vehicles and the landscaping.
“Officers used police vehicles as cover from the barrage of gunfire and were able to return fire,” police said.
“Officers were able to strike the suspect, effectively preventing him from continued shooting at officers and nearby residences.”
Once police confirmed he was no longer a threat they approached him to find him non-responsive.
“Life saving measures were performed and medical personnel were called to the scene. The suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
A resident at the home Montana had shot at was taken to a local trauma centre with a non-life-threatening injury, and police checked other homes to confirm there were no other injuries. “No officers were injured during this critical incident,” police said.
A neighbour told CBS News Bay Area that he believed the dispute started over a tree.
“My understanding is they had a dispute over a tree that was hanging, this is how foolish this kind of thing is,” local resident Cory David said.
“A dispute over a tree that one of them cut back… and then somebody decided to settle it with a gun.”
Metal music news outlet Consequence reported that Montana was an original, long-standing member of the death metal band Possessed, which formed in the early 1980s.
The official Instagram page of death metal band Possessed shared the news, sharing an early photo of the band, saying: “Rest in Peace Brian Montana”.
Possessed later shared a screenshot of a news report about the incident, saying: “Very tragic news. Our sympathies to the Montana family and friends”.
South San Francisco Police Department said the two officers who fired their weapons in the incident had been placed on administrative leave as per protocol, and the investigation was ongoing.
“In the coming weeks, we intend to release additional information, including audio and video recordings,” the police department said.
English (US) ·