Metal band guitarist identified as man killed in South San Francisco police shootout
A man who was fatally shot by police in South San Francisco earlier this week has been identified as a onetime guitarist for a Bay Area death metal band.
According to officers, 60-year-old Brian Joseph Montana died in the incident, which took place on the 300 block of Arroyo Drive on Monday.
Police said they were called to the area around 5:50 p.m. following a disturbance in which Montana was brandishing a firearm at a neighbor. After officers arrived, the man was seen shooting into a home that was occupied, before moving to a driveway and hiding behind several parked vehicles.
Montana then engaged in a shootout with officers.
"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," police said in a statement.
Officers used their vehicles as cover and returned fire, striking Montana. Life-saving measures were performed and medical personnel were called in, but Montana succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
One person inside the home suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No police officers were injured.
Montana was the original guitarist for the band Possessed, which was founded in the Bay Area in the early 1980s and is regarded as a pioneer in the genre.
The band acknowledged Montana's death with a story on their Facebook page.
Police said in a statement that the two officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave, per protocol.
The department, along with the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office is investigating. Police said they intend to release additional information, including audio and video recordings, "in the coming weeks."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the department by calling 650-877-8900 or be emailing web-pd@ssf.net.
