PHOENIX, AZ – Video has been released regarding a March 2021 incident where a crazed man demanding a fight with someone right outside their home was fatally shot by the person he was threatening. While the contents of the footage may be contentious to some, the individual who defended himself was absolved of any wrongdoing by authorities.
The incident occurred on March 24th, 2021, at approximately 5:30 a.m. while Benjamin Backus was walking outside of his home located in the area of Greenway Road and 28th Street in Phoenix. While unaware at the time, a man, later identified as 32-year-old Michael Montanarella, was waiting for Backus to walk outside so as to ambush the individual.
Go Ad-Free, Get Exclusive Shows and Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
In a recent appearance on the Active Self Protection Podcast, Backus explained that Montanarella was no stranger – but rather a neighbor of his whom he’d once had a cordial rapport with.
“[Montanarella] was a neighbor from where I lived before, so that’s how I knew him. He was always outside smoking, so I would say, ‘Hi.’ So, we just sort of built up a relationship over time. He had been in and out of prison a few times and was trying to get his life sorted back together. He’d started his own business, and since I have a background in finance and banking, I was trying to help him with that.”
Backus had become so chummy with Montanarella that he claimed he’d had him and his girlfriend over for Thanksgiving “two consecutive years in a row,” but then things started to go downhill once Montanarella had developed a drug problem.
Backus explained that Montanarella had checked into rehab but was eventually kicked out of the program for physically threatening one of the counselors at the facility. Being a good friend, Backus said he encouraged Montanarella to try and get cleaned up and see if another facility would admit him.
However, for reasons Backus can’t ascertain, Montanarella began sending him accusatory text messages, suggesting that Backus had broken into his home and stolen some goods. At this point in time, Backus had already moved away from where he previously lived where he was neighbors with Montanarella.
Following the accusatory messages, Backus claimed that Montanarella had shown up to his new home, physically threatening him and vandalized some of his property. After multiple incidents involving vandalism, Backus had gotten a restraining order filed against Montanarella.
This would eventually lead to the morning of March 24th of 2021, where Backus went outside to go warm his van up prior to heading out for the morning and saw a vehicle that looked like Montanarella’s parked outside of his home.
“I know I’m paranoid, so I’m trying to buffer that with rationale behavior – things I can confirm – and so I duck around to the other side [of the van] to see, ‘Hey, is it just a neighbor going to work and I’m just being a little paranoid?’ And it is his car, and he goes past my house and flips back around and…he hurls a rock about this big out of the window…and then leaves his car in the middle of the road and comes after me.”
What played out next was caught on video, where Montanarella aggressively charged at Backus while demanding a fight. However, Backus was not playing around in those moments and unloaded a single, fatal shot at Montanarella’s midsection after the aggressor removed his shirt – exposing a knife in his waistband – and charged after him one more time.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
aint that how it always goes. i really hope he gets sober now and stays sober. those deomns he got in him only making things worse.
He’s dead read the article again
Too late. The demons escaped through the hole left by the bullet.
Trust me. HE’S SOBER NOW FOREVER!
i heard george kriby is sober now – for some years running; nancy pelotas said so
Stand your ground.
the shooter did the right thing to get clean of any charges, he initially drew back from the attacker – good move. Generally shooting an unarmed man is not acceptable unless there’s a size or ‘insanity’ difference. The shooter did all the right things, especially when lard butt showed a weapon as he charged in again.
He wasn’t unarmed, he had a knife tucked in his waste band.
This is not true. He had no knife. The police report showed he had NO weapons on him.
The article literally says he had a knife, dumbass.
He had no weapon/knife. The shooter is a criminal trying to avoid further charges from stealing this mans money. Sad.
you are on here quite a bit telling everyone they are wrong and they need to do research and this man didnt have a knife. but there are 2 other videos from other angles before this one showing he does. also there is no public police report released on the incident other than the initial that claims the ongoing investigation. if you would like to post said police report you can. otherwise you need to do more research yourself as he was clearly armed.
don’t be a victim
Like a man, not like a coward. This is sad.
opps missed the part where the dude died. guess he didnt have time to get right and sober. that sucks. No one is promised tomorrow people, u got to get right with the Lord today! that dude had no idea he would be meeting his maker as the sun set. If he did i assure u he wouldnt be dead.
The guy may not have known that he would be killed, but he sure was asking for it.
The world is now a better place with one less crazy, aggressive lunatic on the prowl.
tax payer relief shot, not 10 years to get to trial and then 10 years room and board
Yeah. But after I’ve thought about it, I regret my comment. This guy’s life went wrong somewhere, perhaps in his childhood. Whatever happened to him was bad and it got to him. God loved him too. But I still agree with the shooter’s choice.
Really? He was an innocent man confronting a liar, thief and coward. It’s sad how fast people will believe what they read without doing research.
Where’s your research then?
going all billy badass on a guy with a gun wins a Darwin Award, Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner,
So much history between these two that you don’t know. Sad that you make these comments by reading a one sided story.
Why don’t you explain?
Another lunatic brings about his own demise and the world has one less maniac to worry about.
The radicals want to take our guns so they can control us but we will not allow them to have control. We have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
. . . And if they persist, our guns.
Yeah, they be like coming for your gunz and nutz. Dem dam liberals
Yeah, them dang libruls is comin’ over the hills for your gunz right now. Slap in the high cap drum mag, any minute now. Get yourself real worked up and frothy over it first. Like the berserker from Jan. 6, hahaha.
What was the argument before one man with a gun shot another man who did not have any weapon. No gun, no knife, not even a stick. Very uncool.
Did you happen to read the article? Or do you just like to look at the pictures?
I read this article, but there are false fact throughout. The police report showed the actual facts and there was no weapon on the victim. There were also numerous text message from Benjamin threatening the victim and telling him to come settle it like a man. When he did that Benjamin being the coward he is came out with a gun and waited to shoot point blank. He had ample time to call the police or shoot the victim in the leg, or don’t answer the door. He did what he did because he was already in trouble from stealing money from the victim. Please don’t believe everything you read in the media.
OH look, you are another fucking moron that can’t fucking read.
He had a knife Captain Dipshit. Here, I’ll quote directly from the article and you can go get a grown up to read it back to you fuck knuckle.
after the aggressor removed his shirt – exposing a knife in his waistband
Your creativity with insults is simply brilliant.
Thanks for the laughs !
your property taxes wasted on the pubic skul again, just like last year
Tim, are you a vet? You sound like one, lol.
Where do you see a knife in the video? There was no knife on the victim, per the police. He was dead and sure wouldn’t have been able to hide a knife. MORON!
He had a knife…
NO knife!
You should apologize.
Read the article again, v e r y s l o w l y. Chunky boy had a knife in his waistband. Very naughty.
Do you idiots not read the articles? The guy had a knife in his waist band.
Was it really though? You know the fake news may have altered the story! But as the saying goes, don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
Idiot! The actual police report said there was NO knife. That was something Benjamin made up to make his case more concrete.
I think it’s time for you to take a remedial reading class. I read the entire article and it clearly stated that the “attacker” had a knife in his waist band. It’s a really bad idea to bring a knife to a gun fight. If you bring that knife, you will lose every time. You may need to take a remedial understanding class also, so you can understand what you are reading.
The article was written by someone talking to Benjamin (the gunman). The police report showed there was no KNIFE on the victim. Do you think he was able to hid a knife while he laid on the ground dying? Really people, do you always believe everything you read?
Do you know how to read?
Libtard making a narrative. No longer care about their feelings or being call names. Grow up.
I am proud to be a lazy-ist, a moron-ist, a stooge-ist, and a stupid-ist
PSGWSP
no sympathy from me , this “guy” overweight bench warmer watched one too many movies. good riddance to bad trash ,
Idiot!
Stand your ground law works! Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing…as they say on the street. Remember, CIA teaches opposite of James Bond movies. ‘If you draw you weapon, your skills have failed you’. ~ CIA
Yes. In this situation there’s no alternative but the phrase is a great circuit breaker for gun owners.
He had other options, but he chose to murder in cold blood. These two had a history, read above. This man was a coward and sat waiting with a gun. He had plenty of other options.
The Criminal got exactly what he asked for !
Never bring a knife to a GUN FIGHT ,,,,,LOLOLOL O HHHH WELLLLLL
He brought his fists to what he thought was going to be a fight that was initiated by a text from Benjamin. He had NO knife.
Hooked on Bidens Drugs, and dies in the street
Probably had one of Biden’s free crack pipes in his waistband too.
No but Benjamin did in his home. The victim was not an addict. This is sad.
I’ve heard little girls who cried manlier than this idiot!
Sad. I don’t understand why you would be happy to hear someone crying out for help and think it’s funny. I pity you.
Well…. He fucked around and he found out.
happens to many times in Amerika. Soon it will be the rage, when the SHTF….
Exactly what about this incident possibly could be considered “contentious” by anyone?
Yes. Read my comment above. There was a history between them and the facts in the article (written from one side) are NOT true. I have information from a police report that shows things a lot differently.
This Freddee guy clearly has a relationship with the dumbass aggressor in the video and has created a false sense of reality/false narrative to make himself feel better about the situation. @Freddee, you have claimed numerous times that “I have a police report that shows different and there is no knife”. Well guess what bucko, I requested the police report off the Phoenix.gov website, which ANYONE can do by the way since it’s public record, and the police 100% recovered a knife. I get it, this dude was your friend/relative and you don’t want people to view him in a negative light. But the fact of the matter is, he is not the victim here. He was given ample opportunity in the video to back down but instead he chose to aggressively advance while making verbal threats. “Motherf***er I’m going to take that gun…”, please tell me how this statement translates to Michael being the victim? If he would have listened and just layed down like Benjamin asked him to, Michael would still be alive today; possibly in jail, but alive. Arizona is a stand your ground state, so from a self-defense standpoint, this is a clear cut case for it. Even if there was no knife present, like you falsely claim, Benjamin was absolutely justified in his actions. You have every right to mourn Michael, and you should, however, if you’re going to be angry at someone be angry at him. Yes, Benjamin physically pulled the trigger, but Michael was the aggressor and forced his hand. Michael had no business being there, especially considering he had a restraining order filed against him, which is also public record in Arizona. Just some food for thought. Have a great day!
Yknow, you brought up this police report like 20 times and not a single person believed you. Making an argument over and over without any evidence and just expecting people to find your evidence will literally never convince anyone.
Who’s the bitch now?
As creeps sow–so shall said creeps reap’n weep after being forthwith dropped like the bestial droppings wįtch they are! Hence, it literally pays nøt, nør make an iota of sense to be so utterly ill manured! Erm–ill mannered, that is. . . Pfffft! 👍🤣
lol
The victim had to decide whether 2 attack or retreat. The victim chose poorly.
He wasn’t the victim, he was the perp; the victim shot him.
Mr. Bakus did the right thing. Drugs will make someone feel invincible. Unfortunately, feeling invincible doesn’t come with common sense.
Now THIS is the kind of “gun control” I can support!!
BEST video of the week !!
You make me sick. You watch someone die for no reason and enjoy it? Sad.
Ya want to be a moron and act like a moron and threaten someone like a moron???? Enough said!!!
play stupid games, win stupid prizes
that did the trick!
So watching that unarmed fat goof challenge a guy with a gun is why I ALSO carry pepper spray along with my knife, gun and extra mag.
He might get prosecuted for using Lethal force against an armed person, I hope not, but its better for the cops to show up and see his fat goofy ass crying from a face full of pepper spray than calling your lawyer from jail.
YOU MUST be able to defend yourself from NON-lethal attacks too.
Update, so I read the article and then I found out that he had a knife in his waistband, OK that is more justified, but some asshole LEFTIST prosecutor might still try to charge him.
There was no knife. That is a false fact.
So lucky he had a camera because as a white man, he would have been found guilty for LEGALLY putting down a rabid dog!
Now who’s the bitch. Taking out the trash like our hero Kyle Rittenhouse! YAY!
He insists on running his “tough guy” mouth with a gun pointed at him, then threatens and advances towards the barrel with a knife handy. That, my friends, is a classic example of excessive stupidity.
Excessive stupidity is you believe everything you read. THERE WAS NO KNIFE ON THE VICTIM!
Pretty funny how Mr Backus is the self defense hero here after he in fact did steal from Mr Montanarella, multiple times, then is absolved of any wrongdoing because he’s a pussy that can’t take his ass whooping for being a thief. That’s your hero all you fucking idiots are propping up in this scenario, and he’s alive to drag Mike’s name through the mud because he couldn’t take one on the chin. Fuckin bitch.
I totally agree. Backus was a thief, murderer and coward. He just killed another person and got away with it. This is truly tragic. I hope he gets what he deserves in the future.
Gregory, What’s really sad about this article is that you only have one side of the story. There are text messages on the victims phone showing that Benjamin was texting and calling him telling him to come over and settle it like a man. When he arrived to his house Benjamin was waiting with a gun. He could have called the police, but he chose to be a coward. He also could have shot him in the leg to bring him down, but he shot him point blank in the chest. Meaning to kill. He was sitting on the couch holding his gun waiting for the victim. That doesn’t sound like self defense to me, more like premeditation. After he shot the victim he watches as he gasped for air and goes back in his home and sits on his couch. A neighbor called 911 for help. As for the victim being kicked out of rehab, that is also a lie. I also see comments about a knife in his waistband, the police report shows he had NO weapon on him. You can see in the picture he had on waistband shorts and no shirt. Again, another FALSE FACT. He is building his side of the case and the victim has no voice. Benjamin was supposed to have been a friend helping the victim set up his own business and decided to start stealing money from him. When the victim confronted him Benjamin moved. You should also check Benjamin out, he has quite a history. He killed his own child and claimed it as an accident. Bragging about how he shoots animals. I am all for guns, I own one. However, this man does not use them for protection. I am in no way related to the victim or Benjamin, but have resources to get information on what REALLY happened. You should be ashamed of reporting this without having the facts. Sincerely concerned!
Weird, you complain about them not having facts (even though they do) yet you keep arguing and arguing with zero facts. Hypocrite.
God damn. Dude got shot and turned into a cat.
There is another video clearly showing the deceased had a knife and had it in his right hand when he was shot.