Body cam video recounts deadly police shooting that killed mentally ill veteran

Body cam shows deadly police shooting in Richmond

The Richmond Police Department released body camera footage and 911 audio on Monday in the police shooting that killed a mentally ill veteran last week.

RICHMOND, Calif. - Authorities in Richmond on Monday released body camera footage and 911 audio from a police shooting that killed a mentally ill veteran last week.

At a press conference, the Richmond Police Department said officers attempted to de-escalate the situation before the man, identified as 27-year-old Angel Montaño, charged at them holding two knives. Two officers then fired.

Video and audio of deadly encounter

What we know:

The video and audio show officers approaching the open front door of a home on Aug. 4. Montaño appears holding a knife in each hand. Police said they had received a 5 p.m. call from his brother reporting that Montaño was threatening him and their mother.

"My brother became aggressive… he has mental issues," the 911 caller is heard saying. "He wants to kill me and my mother."

The caller is also heard saying, "Angel, please put down the knife."

Lt. Donald Patchin, a department spokesperson, said when officers arrived, they attempted de-escalation methods while waiting for less-lethal options to arrive. Police were at the home for seven minutes before Montaño ran toward them with two knives as officers yelled, "Hey, hey, stop, stop." 

Body cam: Richmond police fatally shoot armed Marine

Richmond police on Monday released body cam video of the moments that led up to officers opening fire on Angel Montano, a 27-year-old reserve officer with the Marines. Authorities said Montano was armed with knives.

In the video, officers are heard telling Montaño to stop

Family members said Montaño, a veteran, had been suffering with mental health issues. His cousin, Adrian Maciel, told KTVU last week that officers should not have opened fire.

"Their belief at that time was that there was an immediate need to go in, that there could be somebody actively being harmed or in imminent danger of being harmed," said Patchin.

Police identified the officers who fired as Stocking and Nicholas Remick. The department has not said how many shots were fired.

Police Chief Bisa French said at Monday's news conference, "I do hope there will be conversations around legislation and laws to get the people who actually need mental health assistance the help that they need so that we do not end up in these types of situations."

The backstory:

Nicholas Remick, who has been on the force for less than 3 years, is already under investigation for a February police shooting with an unarmed suspect and a physical altercation with a suspect under civil litigation last year.

Patchin confirmed that during Remick’s February incident, the suspect was believed to have had a knife, but it was later determined that he was not armed. 

Remick was put on administrative leave following the incident on February 4.

That investigation is being led by the California Department of Justice, but per department policy, French has the authority to reinstate the officer after a mental health screening.

Remick was reinstated on February 20, just about two weeks after the shooting, according to the police department.

Patchin declined to comment on the physical altercation from 2024 which reportedly left a man severely injured, and said it was "under investigation."

What they're saying:

The police union released a statement in reference to the reports of Remick’s past, condemning the media for "omitting critical context that officers were responding to a violent, armed threat inside a home" and "ignoring that internal reviews cleared the officer for duty."

"We urge the public and the media to review the footage in full before rushing to judgment, and we call for fair, fact-based reporting that respects due process and officer safety," President of Richmond Police Officers Association Benjamin Therriault said.

What's next:

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident alongside Richmond PD’s Investigations Bureau.

Both officers involved were placed on administrative leave.

KTVU reached out to Montaño's family, but they declined to comment, adding that they have retained a lawyer.