01 Mar DA Clears Richmond Police Officers Who Fatally Shot Former Marine

Angel Montano, a 27-year-old reserve officer with the Marines, was shot and killed by Richmond Police Department officers on Aug. 4, 2025. The officers responded to a call of a man armed with a knife allegedly threatening to kill people. Allegedly holding two knives, Montano confronted the two officers outside of his apartment and was shot. (Liz Montaño / Go Fund Me via Bay City News)

By Alise Maripuu
Bay City News

Two Richmond police officers who fired more than a dozen bullets in the fatal shooting of a former U.S. Marine last year have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

“After a review of all available facts surrounding the incident, the District Attorney’s Office finds that the use of deadly force was reasonable under the circumstances,” prosecutors said in a statement. “As such, no further action will be taken in this case.”

The District Attorney’s Office released a report on its findings surrounding the shooting and whether the officers’ use-of-force was warranted. The report features analysis of body-worn camera footage, photos of evidence, and interviews with the officers and witnesses.

On Aug. 4, 2025, officers with the Richmond Police Department responded to a call from the brother of 27-year-old Angel Montaño Magallan. The brother reported that Montaño Magallan, who had a history of mental illness, was armed with a knife and threatening to kill him and his mother in their apartment.

When officers arrived, they learned from dispatch that family members inside the residence could not leave because Montaño Magallan was blocking the front door. Dispatchers also informed police that Montaño Magallan was armed with two knives.

Officers approached the front door after hearing the mother screaming, believing that Montaño Magallan was actively stabbing the family members inside.

When officers opened the door, they saw Montaño Magallan standing over his mother and brother in the doorway. Montaño Magallan then allegedly advanced toward officers with a knife in each hand, refusing to stop after a command, prosecutors said.

Officer Nicholas Remick fired at Magallan nine times and Officer Colton Stocking fired five shots, according to the report. Magallan died at the scene.

The District Attorney’s Office determined that the use of force from the officers was lawful because it was self-defense, and that “they used no more force than was reasonably necessary under the circumstances,” the report reads.

Montaño Magallan’s family has consistently demanded accountability for the officers who shot him, saying that non-fatal measures should have been taken.

Remick had a history of using lethal force, having already been placed on administrative leave for an officer-involved shooting that killed Jose de Jesus Mendez-Rios. In February 2025, Mendez-Rios was shot at by Remick and another officer when he allegedly charged at officers with what appeared to be a knife but was later determined to be a knife sheath. The case is still under investigation by the state Department of Justice, which investigates the shootings of unarmed people by law enforcement in California.

District Attorney’s Office investigators interviewed Montaño Magallan’s mother, who cried during the interview and asked why police shot him since he did not have a gun. She said that officers could have shot Magallan in the leg to scare him and make him drop the knife.

His mother also described how Montaño Magallan had struggled with mental illness but was refusing treatment. His brother, who was also interviewed, said that Montaño Magallan had been previously hospitalized because he was catatonic and stopped eating and drinking.

The report is the final step in the investigative process for fatal officer-involved shootings.

“The release of this report reflects my office’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the review of officer-involved shootings,” said District Attorney Diana Becton in a statement. “We believe the public deserves a clear and thorough account of the facts surrounding these incidents, and that making our findings available to the community is essential to maintaining public trust.”

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