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POSSESSED's JEFF BECERRA Pays Tribute To Late Guitarist BRIAN MONTANA: 'He Was Jovial And A Gentleman'
 Vocalist/bassist Jeff Becerra of pioneering death metallers POSSESSED has commented on the passing of the band's former guitarist Brian Montana. The 60-year-old musician died on Monday, April 28 during a shootout with police.
According to a press release from the South San Francisco Police Department, "South San Francisco Police Department received a 911 call [on Monday] regarding an active disturbance where a suspect was brandishing a firearm at a neighbor on the 300 block of Arroyo Drive. 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.
"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. Officers used police vehicles as cover from the barrage of gunfire and were able to return fire. Officers were able to strike the suspect, effectively preventing him from continued shooting at officers and nearby residences.
"Once the suspect was confirmed he was no longer a threat to officers, an approach to take him into custody was made and he was found to be 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.
"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. Nearby residences were also checked and officers confirmed no one else was injured. No officers were injured during this critical incident."
A witness told CBS News about the incident: "My understanding is they had a dispute over a tree that was hanging. This is how foolish this kind of thing is. A dispute over a tree that one of them cut back, which is his right …and then somebody tried to settle it with a gun."
The South San Francisco Police Department said it will release more information, including audio and video recordings, at a later time.
POSSESSED shared a comment about the shooting via the band's Instagram Story early Friday, May 2, writing, "Very tragic news. Our sympathies to the Montana family and friends," above an image of a news article. The band also posted a message that read "Rest In Peace Brian Montana" via Instagram Story on Wednesday, April 30, according to the Daily Mail.
A longer tribute to Montana from Becerra via the official POSSESSED account added: " I just feel like people should know that Brian Montana was a very nice guy. He was jovial and a gentleman. He was into martial arts and he was an excellent guitar player. Brian was always cracking jokes and he was a good person. Although we weren't in touch often and more than a phone call here and there. The Brian I know is from when we were still just kids back in the beginning of POSSESSED. He was nothing like what I'm seeing being written about him. In fact, I think that's one of the reasons that led to him leaving POSSESSED. He just wasn't willing to be as dark as we wanted him to be at that time. We were going for that evil imagery, and Brian was just so lighthearted, even goofy in a good way."
Jeff continued: "He was obviously going through some struggles and I think this is the time to be respectful towards the Montana family and friends as this is a tragic time for them.
"I'm sure there’s a lot more to this story but that would be up to Brian's family to tell or not to tell. I know that I still feel this is a great loss and I'm deeply saddened."
Montana joined POSSESSED after answering a newspaper ad placed by founding members Mike Torrao and Mike Sus. He played on the band's 1984 demo titled "Death Metal", which is credited with giving the genre its name. Montana left POSSESSED shortly after the demo's release and was replaced by future PRIMUS guitarist Larry LaLonde.
"I left the band because Torrao had a terrible attitude problem and wouldn't stop ragging at me," Montana said in an interview with Voices From The Darkside. "He was like some senile old lady that just wouldn't shut up. He had a problem with my image. He didn't think I was evil enough or something. He was always ragging on me to wear an upside-down crucifix and be satanic."
POSSESSED originally split in 1987, leaving behind a short but highly influential legacy, most notably the band's 1985 "Seven Churches" debut, widely considered to be the first-ever death metal album. Internal tensions after the release of 1987's "The Eyes Of Horror" EP led to the band's dissolution, with LaLonde joining Bay Area tech-thrashers BLIND ILLUSION, then PRIMUS, while Becerra, guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus each going separate directions.
Two years after POSSESSED's split, Becerra was the victim of a failed armed robbery attempt, subsequently leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and sending him into a spiral of drug and alcohol abuse. POSSESSED was reactivated by Torrao in 1990 with a completely different lineup, but only released two demos before dissolving in 1993. Becerra then reformed POSSESSED in 2007 with his own lineup, which released its first studio album in 33 years, "Revelations Of Oblivion", in 2019.
🚨 Officer-Involved Shooting Update 🚨
On 4/28/25 at approx. 5:52 PM, SSFPD responded to a 911 call on the 300 block of...
Posted by South San Francisco Police Department on Tuesday, April 29, 2025
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A post shared by POSSESSED OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM (@possessed_official)
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R.I.P.
А по сабжу - жесть, конечно
Ой бля, не туда свернули