A US Marine was fatally stabbed during a massive North Carolina brawl — and disturbing video that captured him bleeding out on the side of the road has placed responding officers under heavy scrutiny.
Daniel Montano, 21, died after he was one of two people who were stabbed as a large fight broke out in downtown Wilmington just after 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Wilmington Police Department.
Footage circulating across social media shows multiple men fighting in the middle of the street when Wilmington cops arrived and pepper-sprayed them to break up the madness.
Seconds later, the camera pans to the sidewalk where Montano is seen hunched over a pool of blood at his feet, pointing desperately to his neck as officers rush over to assist.
As officers scrambled to figure out how to help the injured man, a bystander rushed over, took off his shirt, wrapped it around the victim’s neck and applied pressure in a desperate bid to stop the bleeding.
Both stabbing victims were rushed to Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, police said.
Montano later succumbed to his injuries.
Montano was a Lance Cpl. assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines Regiment at Camp Lejeune, from San Bernardino, Calif., his sister, Evelyn Montano, wrote on a fundraiser page set up to help support his family cover funeral and memorial services.
“He was not only dedicated to his country, but also deeply loved by his family. To us, he was more than a Marine — he was a son, a brother, and someone who brought so much light into our lives,” she wrote.
“Thank you for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this unimaginable loss.”
Downtown Wilmington, located about 70 miles from Camp Lejeune, is a frequently visited destination for Marines stationed at the East Coast’s largest Marine Corps base.
Police released photos of a “person of interest” in the case — a man with dreadlocks wearing a denim jacket, denim jeans, a pink t-shirt and white shoes with blue and red accents.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police as the investigation into the deadly stabbing continues.
The Wilmington Police Department has come under scrutiny for its response to the attack caught on video, Star News Online reported.
Wilmington Police Chief Ryan Zuidema defended the actions of officers who responded to the fatal stabbing, telling the outlet they acted appropriately given the circumstances.
Zuidema insisted that the short 41-second viral clip — which appears to show his officers failing to spring into action immediately to help a dying Montano — doesn’t paint the whole picture.
“They have no idea who is who,” he said. “They don’t know who’s a suspect, who’s a victim. They just know there’s people fighting in the street.”
Zuidema said one officer was dealing with the effects of pepper spray while another put on gloves — standard protocol when dealing with a bleeding victim — before grabbing his radio to call for an ambulance.
He also said the officers were still assessing the situation in the video.
“They don’t know if there are other victims around. They don’t know if the suspect is still close by, and there’s a lot going on,” Zuidema told the outlet.
“I understand what the concerns are, but I can tell you that the officers did certainly the best they could under the circumstances.”
The officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave as the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation takes over the case, Star News Online reported.
The Post has reached out to the Wilmington Police Department for comment.
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