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.
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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.
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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.
don’t be a victim
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.
going all billy badass on a guy with a gun wins a Darwin Award, Darwin Award winners eliminate themselves in an extraordinarily idiotic manner,
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.
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?
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.
He had a 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.
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.
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 ,
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.
The Criminal got exactly what he asked for !
Never bring a knife to a GUN FIGHT ,,,,,LOLOLOL O HHHH WELLLLLL
Hooked on Bidens Drugs, and dies in the street
Probably had one of Biden’s free crack pipes in his waistband too.
I’ve heard little girls who cried manlier than this idiot!
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?
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 !!
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.
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.