Brian Montana, who helped found pioneering death metal band Possessed, died this week following a shootout with San Francisco police. He was 60 years old.
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According to The San Mateo Journal, authorities responded Monday (April 28) to South San Francisco’s Rancho Buri Buri neighborhood amid reports that Montana had threatened his neighbor with a gun.
The former Possessed guitarist had become angry over his neighbor’s tree branches and leaves spilling into his yard, and the argument escalated with Montana allegedly firing multiple weapons at the neighbor’s home.
Once police arrived, Montana reportedly turned his gun on them, using nearby vehicles and landscaping for cover. He exchanged fire with officers for nearly 25 minutes before police ultimately shot and killed him.
UPDATE: Brian Montana, 60, original guitarist for death metal band Possessed, ID’d as man shot and killed by @SSFPolice after he allegedly opened fire on officers and next-door neighbor’s home in beef over gardening pic.twitter.com/JBvF5tGbpX
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) May 1, 2025
A bullet grazed Montana’s neighbor, sending him to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told The Daily Journal that “there was some alcohol involved” on Montana’s part.
“His death is a tragedy, but it’s fortunate that nobody else was hit or injured more seriously,” Wagstaffe said, adding that his office aims to complete a full investigation within 60 days.
How Brian Montana Helped Define a Genre
Formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983, Brian Montana left Possessed before the band released its 1985 debut, Seven Churches. However, he was an important part of their 1984 three-song demo, Death Metal, which helped give the genre its name.
Montana joined Possessed in 1983, responding to an ad for a guitarist placed by founding members Mike Torrao and Mike Sus. After he departed due to creative differences, future Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde took his place.
In an undated interview with Voices From the Darkside, Montana said he left Possessed due to Torrao’s “terrible attitude problem.”
“He had a problem with my image—he didn’t think I was evil enough or something,” the guitarist said. “He was always ragging on me to wear an upside down crucifix and be satanic. That just felt phony to me, so I told him I wouldn’t do it.”
Montana tried to establish other bands, but none ever gained “a sizable audience,” he said. Turning to a career in software engineering, he didn’t regret leaving Possessed even in hindsight.
“To this day, I still don’t see how I could have stayed,” Montana said.
The band acknowledged Montana’s death Thursday (May 1) with a brief post to its Instagram Stories.
Featured image via X/Twitter
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