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Reports are coming in from Columbus, Ohio, where an alleged shooting occurred at Alrossa Villa, the nightclub where Damageplan was performing tonight. The earliest reports indicate that Dimebag Darrell and one other band member were among those killed.
The following is posted at the Web site of WCMH TV Channel 4, the NBC affiliate in Columbus at http://www.nbc4i.com/news/3983630/detail.html (video report here)
At Least 5 Dead, 2 Wounded In Nightclub Shooting
Witnesses: Alleged Guman Went Onto Stage, Fired Shots
POSTED: 10:32 pm EST December 8, 2004
UPDATED: 1:40 am EST December 9, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At least five people died and two others were wounded after a shooting at a Columbus nightclub on Wednesday night, NBC 4 reported.
The shooting took place shortly after 10 p.m. at Alrosa Villa, located at 5055 Sinclair Road.
Two members of the heavy metal band Damageplan were reportedly shot and killed, including Dimebag Darrell, formerly with the band Pantera, NBC 4's David Wayne reported. The other band member's name was not released. The alleged gunman also died at the scene, Wayne reported.
Columbus police Sgt. Brent Mall said the alleged gunman appeared to be targeting the band members. After shooting at the stage, the gunman opened fire on the crowd. At that point, an officer shot man dead, Mall added. Police said there could have been many more fatalities had the officer not killed the gunman.
Shortly after the band began playing its first song, a man reportedly ran onto the stage and began shooting, according to a witness who identified himself as Sean. Some members of the audience reportedly thought the man running onto the stage with a gun was part of the band's act, NBC 4's Erin Tate reported.
Witnesses said that several shots were fired at the band. Witnesses said that a bouncer at the club tackled the alleged gunman before that person was shot and killed.
NBC 4 reported that of the surviving victims, one person was in critical condition while the other was in fair condition. Several others were treated at the scene, suffering from various injuries.
Alrosa Villa is a popular north Columbus nightspot for young adults, featuring rock and heavy metal bands, NBC 4 reported.
According to the band's Web site, Damageplan was touring nationally. It performed in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday night and had a concert scheduled in Flint, Mich., on Thursday.
Damageplan featured former Pantera artists Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The pair were joined by vocalist Patrick Lachman and bassist Bobzilla, according to their Web site.
CNN.com has also posted the following article which includes eyewitness accounts:
Gunman kills 4 at Ohio nightclub
Police officer shoots suspect to death
Thursday, December 9, 2004 Posted: 2:12 AM EST (0712 GMT)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Wednesday night during a heavy metal concert in Columbus, killing four people -- including at least one member of the band -- and critically wounding at least two others before a police officer shot and killed him, according to Columbus police.
The attacker leapt onstage as the group, Damageplan, performed, and began "targeting members in the band," Sgt. Brent Mull said.
Two others were injured in the incident, although the nature of their injuries was not clear.
According to eyewitness accounts, the gunman initially shot and killed the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. Darrell, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul, 40, are former members of Pantera -- a group they formed in the 1980s. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and western songwriter and producer.
Police were notified of the shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on the city's north end around 10:18 p.m. ET, Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was in the area slipped into the venue from a back entrance, confronted the gunman during the rampage and killed him.
"If not for the officer who showed up, there would have been more dead," Mull said.
Police have roped off a huge area of the nightclub's parking lot, as 60 detectives question hundreds of witnesses. Police have brought in buses to keep the witnesses warm as they wait to be questioned.
Calvin Bota said he saw the shooting from the mosh pit right in front of the stage, shortly after the band began playing.
"Somebody came -- I don't know where they came from, out of the audience or whatnot -- but they come onto (the) stage and ... he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple of other shots and then he hid behind the stage a little bit," Bota told WSYX.
"Everybody started scattering, you know, there's mayhem everywhere. And then a police officer came into the building, you know, came in professional with his gun raised and then he proceeded to shoot the guy."
Gerald Caudill told WSYX the gunman shot the guitarist at least four times.
"I was up close to the stage and I just saw some guy run up on the side of the stage and I heard some shots and I saw (drummer) Vinnie Paul and somebody jumped on top of Vinnie, and the guy just stayed around the stage and started shooting other people," Caudill said.
"I saw wounded people all over the place, out in the parking lot, inside," he said. "It just didn't sound like gunshots or anything, it didn't occur to me that something like that was happening."
CNN Producer Steve Brusk in Columbus contributed to this report.
WCPO-TV Channel 9, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, posted another report at http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/12/08/columbus_shooting_ap.html, which includes comments from a law enforcement official and additional first-hand accounts:
Five Dead, Two Injured In Columbus Nightclub Shooting
Reported by: A.P.
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
12/9/2004 12:23:15 AM
A man opened fire in a crowded nightclub during a rock concert Wednesday night, killing at least four people and wounding at least two others before he was shot to death by police, authorities said.
A man walked on stage during the show at the Alrosa Villa and opened fire on band members, killing four people and wounding at least two others, said Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull, adding that more people could have been shot and left the scene before authorities arrived.
Mull said a police officer shot and killed the gunman. It wasn't immediately clear whether the officer was already at the show or had responded to an emergency call.
Columbus resident Chris Couch, 22, said the shooting occurred about 30 seconds after the show's headliner, DAMAGEPLAN, had begun playing.
Couch, who was standing about 30 feet away from the stage, noticed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and hockey jersey walk up to the stage, followed by a bouncer and another club employee.
The man in the jersey climbed onto the stage, started yelling and shot the guitarist five or six times at close range, Couch said.
Couch said the gunman also shot a bouncer who pulled him off the musician.
At that point, Couch and a friend headed for the exit along with a tide of hundreds of fans.
It appeared the gunman purposely sought out the guitarist, whom Couch identified as a performer who went by the name "Dimebag Darrell."
Authorities didn't immediately provide the identities of the victims.
"It was definitely a grudge. It was against something," Couch said.
Amanda Stankus, 19, who attended the show with Couch, said she initially thought the shooting was part of the show.
"I just saw the guitarist fall down, and we decided to get out of there," said Stankus, of Columbus.
Stankus said she didn't see any metal detectors or uniformed police officers at the venue and that she wasn't searched or frisked on her way in.
WBNS-10 TV in Columbus first posted the following information on their Web site at http://www.wbns10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2668923&nav=LUERTzwc:
Reports of a shooting at Al Rosa Villa on Sinclair Road in North Columbus.
Three people are dead and at least seven are wounded.
Three people in critical condition were taken to Riverside Hospital.
One person was taken to Grant Hospital in stable condition, with a gunshot wound to the thigh.
A triage center has been set up behind the restaurant to help victims with minor injuries still on the scene.
The following is posted at the Web site of WCMH TV Channel 4, the NBC affiliate in Columbus at http://www.nbc4i.com/news/3983630/detail.html (video report here)
At Least 5 Dead, 2 Wounded In Nightclub Shooting
Witnesses: Alleged Guman Went Onto Stage, Fired Shots
POSTED: 10:32 pm EST December 8, 2004
UPDATED: 1:40 am EST December 9, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At least five people died and two others were wounded after a shooting at a Columbus nightclub on Wednesday night, NBC 4 reported.
The shooting took place shortly after 10 p.m. at Alrosa Villa, located at 5055 Sinclair Road.
Two members of the heavy metal band Damageplan were reportedly shot and killed, including Dimebag Darrell, formerly with the band Pantera, NBC 4's David Wayne reported. The other band member's name was not released. The alleged gunman also died at the scene, Wayne reported.
Columbus police Sgt. Brent Mall said the alleged gunman appeared to be targeting the band members. After shooting at the stage, the gunman opened fire on the crowd. At that point, an officer shot man dead, Mall added. Police said there could have been many more fatalities had the officer not killed the gunman.
Shortly after the band began playing its first song, a man reportedly ran onto the stage and began shooting, according to a witness who identified himself as Sean. Some members of the audience reportedly thought the man running onto the stage with a gun was part of the band's act, NBC 4's Erin Tate reported.
Witnesses said that several shots were fired at the band. Witnesses said that a bouncer at the club tackled the alleged gunman before that person was shot and killed.
NBC 4 reported that of the surviving victims, one person was in critical condition while the other was in fair condition. Several others were treated at the scene, suffering from various injuries.
Alrosa Villa is a popular north Columbus nightspot for young adults, featuring rock and heavy metal bands, NBC 4 reported.
According to the band's Web site, Damageplan was touring nationally. It performed in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday night and had a concert scheduled in Flint, Mich., on Thursday.
Damageplan featured former Pantera artists Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. The pair were joined by vocalist Patrick Lachman and bassist Bobzilla, according to their Web site.
CNN.com has also posted the following article which includes eyewitness accounts:
Gunman kills 4 at Ohio nightclub
Police officer shoots suspect to death
Thursday, December 9, 2004 Posted: 2:12 AM EST (0712 GMT)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Wednesday night during a heavy metal concert in Columbus, killing four people -- including at least one member of the band -- and critically wounding at least two others before a police officer shot and killed him, according to Columbus police.
The attacker leapt onstage as the group, Damageplan, performed, and began "targeting members in the band," Sgt. Brent Mull said.
Two others were injured in the incident, although the nature of their injuries was not clear.
According to eyewitness accounts, the gunman initially shot and killed the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. Darrell, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul, 40, are former members of Pantera -- a group they formed in the 1980s. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and western songwriter and producer.
Police were notified of the shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on the city's north end around 10:18 p.m. ET, Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was in the area slipped into the venue from a back entrance, confronted the gunman during the rampage and killed him.
"If not for the officer who showed up, there would have been more dead," Mull said.
Police have roped off a huge area of the nightclub's parking lot, as 60 detectives question hundreds of witnesses. Police have brought in buses to keep the witnesses warm as they wait to be questioned.
Calvin Bota said he saw the shooting from the mosh pit right in front of the stage, shortly after the band began playing.
"Somebody came -- I don't know where they came from, out of the audience or whatnot -- but they come onto (the) stage and ... he shot the guitarist at first, fired a couple of other shots and then he hid behind the stage a little bit," Bota told WSYX.
"Everybody started scattering, you know, there's mayhem everywhere. And then a police officer came into the building, you know, came in professional with his gun raised and then he proceeded to shoot the guy."
Gerald Caudill told WSYX the gunman shot the guitarist at least four times.
"I was up close to the stage and I just saw some guy run up on the side of the stage and I heard some shots and I saw (drummer) Vinnie Paul and somebody jumped on top of Vinnie, and the guy just stayed around the stage and started shooting other people," Caudill said.
"I saw wounded people all over the place, out in the parking lot, inside," he said. "It just didn't sound like gunshots or anything, it didn't occur to me that something like that was happening."
CNN Producer Steve Brusk in Columbus contributed to this report.
WCPO-TV Channel 9, the ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, posted another report at http://www.wcpo.com/news/2004/local/12/08/columbus_shooting_ap.html, which includes comments from a law enforcement official and additional first-hand accounts:
Five Dead, Two Injured In Columbus Nightclub Shooting
Reported by: A.P.
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
12/9/2004 12:23:15 AM
A man opened fire in a crowded nightclub during a rock concert Wednesday night, killing at least four people and wounding at least two others before he was shot to death by police, authorities said.
A man walked on stage during the show at the Alrosa Villa and opened fire on band members, killing four people and wounding at least two others, said Columbus police spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull, adding that more people could have been shot and left the scene before authorities arrived.
Mull said a police officer shot and killed the gunman. It wasn't immediately clear whether the officer was already at the show or had responded to an emergency call.
Columbus resident Chris Couch, 22, said the shooting occurred about 30 seconds after the show's headliner, DAMAGEPLAN, had begun playing.
Couch, who was standing about 30 feet away from the stage, noticed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and hockey jersey walk up to the stage, followed by a bouncer and another club employee.
The man in the jersey climbed onto the stage, started yelling and shot the guitarist five or six times at close range, Couch said.
Couch said the gunman also shot a bouncer who pulled him off the musician.
At that point, Couch and a friend headed for the exit along with a tide of hundreds of fans.
It appeared the gunman purposely sought out the guitarist, whom Couch identified as a performer who went by the name "Dimebag Darrell."
Authorities didn't immediately provide the identities of the victims.
"It was definitely a grudge. It was against something," Couch said.
Amanda Stankus, 19, who attended the show with Couch, said she initially thought the shooting was part of the show.
"I just saw the guitarist fall down, and we decided to get out of there," said Stankus, of Columbus.
Stankus said she didn't see any metal detectors or uniformed police officers at the venue and that she wasn't searched or frisked on her way in.
WBNS-10 TV in Columbus first posted the following information on their Web site at http://www.wbns10tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2668923&nav=LUERTzwc:
Reports of a shooting at Al Rosa Villa on Sinclair Road in North Columbus.
Three people are dead and at least seven are wounded.
Three people in critical condition were taken to Riverside Hospital.
One person was taken to Grant Hospital in stable condition, with a gunshot wound to the thigh.
A triage center has been set up behind the restaurant to help victims with minor injuries still on the scene.