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Family identifies man shot and killed by Richmond Police as a reserve officer with U.S. Marines
Family of man shot and killed by Richmond Police says officers should have used non-lethal force when responding to a call to his home. Relatives identified the man as Angel Montano. They say the 27-year-old was a reserve officer with the U.S. Marines.
RICHMOND, Calif. - The family of a man killed this week by Richmond police identified him as Angel Montano, a 27-year-old reserve officer with the Marines, who had been struggling.
"He needed help," his cousin, Adrian Maciel, said on Tuesday, leaving a candle at the spot where police fatally shot him on Monday. "I feel guilty, because he asked for help one time, for a job."
Maciel said he tried to help his cousin get a job a few months ago, but things didn't work out.
He said Montano had been a proud reserve officer with the U.S. Marines, but had struggled with mental health issues, including being under stress.
"People get stuck in their own little world, and they can't get out of it," Maciel said.
According to Richmond police, officers got a 911 call about 5 p.m., reporting that a man armed with a knife was inside a home threatening to kill people.
Police say when officers arrived, he was armed with two knives and was standing just outside his apartment and that he confronted the officers who shot him.
In Maciel's opinion, police should have used less than deadly force.
"A guy that has a domestic dispute, a knife, you don't go there to shoot to kill," he said. "You go to calm the person down."
Police Chief Bisa French said that officer-involved shootings are "very difficult."
"We don't take them lightly," she said.
French was at a National Night Out event, and told KTVU that each of the two officers involved had less than five years on the force. As is standard, they have been placed on paid leave.
The police department, the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office and the police commission are each conducting separate investigations.
"We want to make sure we are transparent with the community and we will provide information as we are able to," French said.
Montano leaves behind a young daughter. And a family who never imagined losing him this way.
"I'm sad for what's going on," Maciel said. "I'm angry for what happened, knowing that it could have been done differently."
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.