Dimebag Darrell Dead

[Rod-64]

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1494653/20041209/damageplan.jhtml?headlines=true
Unreal...............Was an awesome musician.......... :frown: :frown: :frown:

[Rod-64]

Gunman kills 4 at Ohio nightclub
Police officer shoots suspect to death
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNN) -- A gunman stormed the stage during a heavy metal concert Wednesday night, firing on members of the band and the audience, killing four people -- including at least one band member -- and wounding at least two others before a police officer shot and killed him, according to Columbus police.
Before he was shot, police said, the gunman grabbed a hostage and fired into the crowd as he held on to the person. It was not clear what happened to the hostage.
The attack happened shortly after the band, Damageplan, began its performance at the Alrosa Villa nightclub on Columbus' north end.
The gunman was "targeting members in the band," Sgt. Brent Mull said.
One of the wounded is in critical condition, and the other is hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Two others were injured in the incident and treated at the scene, although the nature of their injuries was not clear.
According to eyewitness accounts, the gunman initially shot the band's guitarist, Dimebag Darrell.
Darrell, 38, and his brother, Vinnie Paul, 40, formed Damageplan after Pantera -- a group they formed in the 1980s -- broke up last year. Their father is Jerry Abbott, a country and western songwriter and producer.
Police were notified of the shooting around 10:18 p.m. ET, Mull said. A uniformed police officer who was near the scene 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.
Witnesses described the shooter as a heavyset man, wearing a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey jersey.
Police roped off a huge area of the nightclub's parking lot, as 60 detectives questioned hundreds of witnesses. Police brought in buses to keep the witnesses warm as they waited 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 CNN affiliate 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 said 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) fall 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."

[Keith]

A sad story. The guys were always around town, hitting the gent's clubs.
R.I.P Dimebag

[brianwhiteboy]

I'm speechless.....Pantera was one of the all time greatest heavy metal bands....Dimebag Darrell was one of those fun loving guys who just liked to party, play music and have fun with everyone.
What is this world coming to??? To have some stupid mother****er jump on stage and shoot you because your not in a certain band anymore is totally unbeliveable :burningm:

[HavasuDreamin']

I am deeply saddened by the loss of "Dimebag" Darrell..........one of hard rock's great guitar players. :frown: What a total tragedy. It is beyond me how this can happen.
I have heard unconfirmed reports that his brother and drummer "Vinnie Paul" is hospitalized in serious condition. I hope this is untrue.
RIP Darrell...... :frown:
http://www.vdopantera.com/pix/dime03.JPG

[MikeF]

r.i.p.
That sucks! :mad:

[STROKER ACE]

I have been all over the net trying to get the details but no luck so lets keep this thread going. The "gunman" is dead so we may never know.

[boatslayer]

i am very sad,, i was listening to pantera on my cd player at about that time

[HavasuDreamin']

By JAY COHEN, Associated Press Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A gunman charged onstage at a packed nightclub and opened fire on the band and crowd, killing top heavy metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other people before a police officer shot him to death, authorities and witnesses said.
Police spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio identified three of the victims of Wednesday's shooting as Abbott, who played for the Texas-based band Damageplan, and two other men, Nathan Bray, 23; and Erin Halk, 29.
She identified the gunman as Nathan Gale, 25, of Marysville, 25 miles northwest of Columbus. She said there was no information on a motive or any connection to the band.
Damageplan had just begun its first song at Alrosa Villa club when the man shot Abbott five or six times at point-blank range, a witness said.
Abbott, 38, one of metal's top guitarists, and his brother, Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, were members of Pantera, the Grammy-nominated thrash-rock pioneer that enjoyed wide popularity in the early 1990s.
The witness, 22-year-old Chris Couch, said he was standing about 30 feet from the stage when he saw a man wearing a hooded sweat shirt walk up to the stage, followed by a bouncer and another club employee.
The man in the sweat shirt climbed onto the stage, started yelling and opened fire on the guitarist, then shot a bouncer who pulled him off the musician, Couch said.
Police spokesman Sgt. Brent Mull said that after shooting at band members, the gunman fired into the crowd. The gunman was shot and killed by patrol officer James D. Niggemeyer, who arrived shortly after the shooting began, police said.
"If the officer wasn't as close as he was, I think this would have been a lot worse," Mull said. "It was a chaotic scene, just a horrific scene."
Mercurio said Niggemeyer, 31, was patrolling nearby when he heard the call about the shooting. He entered the club through a back door and was directed to the stage, where he saw one person lying dead and the suspect holding onto another person, Mercurio said. His deadly shot probably saved other lives, Mercurio said.
The name of the fifth person killed was not immediately released. Mercurio said family members were still being notified.
***Note.........I have heard reports that another band member has passed from his wounds.***

[dicudmore]

bad deal :frown:

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

:( I don't know who he is but still sad to hear someone was taken before their time. R.I.P

[STROKER ACE]

MTV has hade nothing on that I have seen today wtf and all the rumors, I cant even get on the damageplan web site what other member is it suposed to be

[Keithb87]

I heard about this on the radio this morning on the way to work.. They said that the Drummer was expected to fully recover. Also that a COP that was a few blocks away rushed in ad shot the shooter. May have saved a bunch of lives.

[HavasuDreamin']

Vinnie Paul.......his brother. This is unconfirmed.
There are five deaths total. Four excluding the gunman. They have released the names of three of the four. Dimebag Darell, and two fans, both male. I am hoping the fourth is not Vinnie Paul, but the maniac was supposedly pissed off at the fact that Dimebag and Vinnie broke up their former band Pantera.
This sucks. Why did they not pat down the people entering the club? Why did they not use the metal detector wands?
:(

[HavasuDreamin']

I heard about this on the radio this morning on the way to work.. They said that the Drummer was expected to fully recover.
That is great news. God bless all the victims.

[STROKER ACE]

Dimebag Darrell, guitarist for Damageplan and Pantera, was killed during a shooting spree at a Columbus, Ohio, nightclub Wednesday night. He was 38.
Darrell, real name Darrell Abbott, was among the five dead in the incident. Also killed were
the gunman, 25-year-old Nathan Gale of nearby Marysville, Ohio, and two fans, Nathan Bray and Erin Halk, according to Columbus Police public information officer Sherry Mercurio.
Damageplan had just begun their first song in front of several hundred at Alrosa Villa when Gale jumped onstage, made a comment about Pantera, and began firing at close range into Darrell's body, shooting him several times before opening fire on the crowd.
Mercurio said an officer in the vicinity heard the call of shots fired shortly after 10 p.m., snuck in the back door of the venue and confronted Gale onstage. When the officer took the stage, he observed one victim and the gunman holding a hostage by the neck. The officer opened fire on Gale and killed him with a single shotgun blast, according to eyewitness accounts on CNN. One witness also told CNN that Gale reloaded his gun during the shooting spree.
Mercurio said the fifth victim's name and those of the two wounded have not yet been released.
"If the officer hadn't acted when he did and how he did, we'd probably be looking at more dead, because this guy was actively shooting," said public information officer Sergeant Brent Mull. Following the incident, police took housed more than 200 patrons onto three city-donated buses as they waited to interview them about the shooting.
Mull said he had been told there was no metal detector at the club, though could not confirm that at press time and a club spokesperson could not be reached.
"The ones that were inside and witnessed this ran for their lives and were in fear for their lives," Mull said. "They are victims too, and we want to take care of them."
One of the witnesses, his jeans torn and soaked with blood, told CNN that he jumped on stage and attempted to give Darrell CPR before paramedics arrived.
As news of Dimebag's tragic demise rippled through the metal community, the news was met with shock and sadness.
"I'm speechless," former Rob Zombie/ Ozzy Osbourne bassist Rob Blasko Nicholson said. "This is totally unreal. Dimebag is a f---ing legend and this is total bullsh--." Damageplan also features Dimebag's brother, former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul; singer Patrick Lachman and bassist Bob Zilla.
"This is insane and this is beyond travesty," Killswitch Engage frontman and former Damageplan tour partner Howard Jones said. "This is beyond anything I've ever heard. This shouldn't happen in or outside of the rock and metal community. He will be missed and mourned as a person, as a musician, and as a friend." got this off mtv news

[HCS]

That sucks he was just featured by Dean guitars. On this site. www.deanguitars.com they were covering his come back.
http://www.deanguitars.com/dimenewsdec9.jpg

[KACHINA KEN]

I dont even know what to say, I am just crushed. I have known the brothers since 84 on a personal level. i can't believe this.

[Rod-64]

http://www.damageplan.com/damageplan2.jpg.......