Outrage is brewing over the police’s lackluster response to a U.S. Marine being stabbed to death during a street fight in North Carolina.

U.S. Marine Daniel Montana, 21, was one of two men who were stabbed during a street brawl that erupted early Sunday morning in Wilmington.

Video footage of the altercation shows people fighting in the middle of the street when local cops arrive and pepper-spray them.

The camera then pans to the sidewalk, where Montana can be seen bleeding and pointing to his neck as a confused officer just watches.

Moments later, he collapses to the ground, but not before a bystander takes off their shirt and then uses it to try to stop the bleeding.

Watch (*Graphic content):

URGENTE: Daniel Montano, un marine estadounidense de 21 años, fue asesinado después de que, según informes, fuera apuñalado mortalmente por un sospechoso que permanece prófugo. pic.twitter.com/ADQTEGiKR4

— Javi (@JaviXCubaLibre) April 8, 2026

Montana did not survive the fight, and the suspect who stabbed him — described as a black man with dreadlocks and a denim jacket with denim jeans — still remains on the loose.

The public responded to the video footage of the encounter by slamming the police for just standing there doing practically nothing as Montana bled to death.

Look:

Are police not taught first aid? They just stood around gapping while a random guy on the street ran up and tried to stop him from bleeding out. Kudos to that guy.

— Maggiesmom (@maggiemooch) April 8, 2026

If those in uniform are law enforcement please explain to me why make no effort to stop the bleeding. It appears to be a random youth who puts him down and tries to help him.

— Samantha (@sshtex68) April 9, 2026

Why was the only person to try to help him a young black kid, you have grown men who appear to be cops, why didn’t any of them try to stop the bleeding sooner? And who is the kid who tried to help, let’s at least give him credit for attempting to help.

— Kristina (@KristinaJulia2) April 8, 2026

A marine was being stabbed to death and the police used pepper spray instead of justified lethal force, as the suspect got away and can kill someone else. And the police had no idea how to administer life saving first aid. What are we doing? This is a travesty.

— Suzy (@wadesgirlie) April 8, 2026

Do these officers just go to the gym and then take flex pics with their weapons?
1. How do you not draw on a guy who’s stabbing people?
2. Why is there no trained officer rendering aid as a first responder? A random guy, friend, fellow Marine (?) steps in to help.

— Garage Band Hedge Fund (@GarageBandHF) April 8, 2026

Wilmington Police Chief Ryan Zuidema, meanwhile, defended the actions of his officers, telling the Star-News that it was a chaotic situation.

“They [his officers] have no idea who is who,” Zuidema said. “They don’t know who’s a suspect, who’s a victim. They just know there’s people fighting in the street.”

“They’re dealing with trying to assess what’s going on there. 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,” he continued.

He added that, while the video was being recorded, there were officers who were dealing with having just been exposed to pepper spray.

“I understand what the concerns are, but I can tell you that the officers did certainly the best they could under the circumstances,” he said.

Montana’s death comes amid a homicide uptick in the Wilmington area.

There were 2 separate stabbings within a few minutes of each on North Front Street in downtown Wilmington, NC early this morning. Wilmington PD stated the stabbings were unrelated. Wilmington, NC Mayor & entire city council are all democrats. You get what you vote for. pic.twitter.com/dLUeK6stuQ

— Evans Wroten (@Evans_Wroten) April 5, 2026

“Zuidema reported an increase in homicides this year to date compared to the same period in 2025,” according to PortCity Daily. “The chief said the WPD hasn’t isolated any factors it could attribute to this year’s uptick. Any time numbers of violent incidents escalates, it requires reassessing the department’s allocation of resources, which is where staffing levels play a role.”

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