Former Possessed Guitarist Brian Montana Killed in Police Standoff Aged 60

Brian Montana, the former Possessed guitarist, was killed in a fatal shootout with San Francisco police.

Brian Montana, former guitarist for death metal trailblazers Possessed, has died following a fatal police shooting in San Francisco on April 28. He was 60 years old.

Montana, who played with Possessed during their formative years in 1983–1984, contributed to the band’s early demo Death Metal—a tape that would go on to help define an entire genre. The track “Swing of the Axe” from that demo was later picked up by Metal Blade Records for its Metal Massacre VI compilation in 1985, putting Possessed (and Montana’s riffs) on the map as one of the earliest bands to push metal into more extreme territory.

Though he exited the group before the release of Possessed’s landmark debut album Seven Churches, Montana’s legacy remained tied to those crucial first steps in death metal history.

According to police reports, the incident is alleged to have begun on the evening of April 28 as a dispute with a neighbour that escalated into an armed standoff. Police responded to reports of gunfire in the area and, after an escalated confrontation, Montana was fatally shot by armed officers.

In a statement from the South San Francisco Police Department, authorities allege that a Montana was “brandishing a firearm at a neighbour” on arrival. The police claim the former Possessed guitarist began “actively shooting into an occupied residence,” before arming himself with three different types of firearms and firing at officers. 

The statement goes on to allege that officers “were able to strike the suspect.” Once it was confirmed there was no longer a threat to officers, police claim they approached Montana and found 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,” the statement continues.

The statement claims that one resident from the home being shot at sustained a non-life threatening injury, but no other residences or officers were injured during the “critical incident.”

According to the Daily Journal, District Attorney Steve Wagstaff alleged that the dispute began after Montana became frustrated about his neighbour’s leaves and tree branches falling into his yard.

“On the shooter’s side, there was some alcohol involved,” Wagstaffe said. “[Montana’s] death is a tragedy, but it’s fortunate that nobody else wasn’t hit or injured more seriously.”

A full investigation is underway, with the South San Francisco Police Department confirming the two officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave, “as is customary in Officer Involved Shooting protocols.”

Possessed took to their official Instagram account to pay tribute to the former guitarist with an old photo tracked by their own song “Fallen Angel.” The story reads “Rest in Peace Brian Montana.”

As the metal community reflects on Montana’s role in shaping one of its most brutal subgenres with Possessed, his death marks a tragic and violent end to the life of a musician whose legacy was forged in the earliest flames of death metal.