South San Francisco

Brian Montana, a former guitarist for the Bay Area death metal band Possessed, was killed in a shootout with police in South San Francisco.

The incident occurred April 28 after Montana, 60, confronted a neighbor about tree branches and leaves falling into his yard, according to a press release from the South San Francisco Police Department, first reported in the San Mateo Daily Journal.

“It is picking a winner technology-wise. And the problem is we’re not really even in the first inning of that battle,” said Gene Hoffman, chief executive of Chia Network, a blockchain technology company based in South San Francisco.

To improve its capabilities, Cal Fire is testing new equipment with BurnBot, a South San Francisco company that operates large vehicles that can do controlled burns with little or no smoke.

The South San Francisco Police Department arrested Litton and the San Mateo district attorney’s office charged him with felony embezzlement of a leased or rented vehicle; being in possession of a forged driver’s license and other charges.