Dimebag Darrell Shot In Nightclub Attack
Musician Dimebag Darrell is reported to be one of at least four killed following a shooting at a Columbus, Ohio nightclub.
Witnesses describe a gunman appearing onstage shortly after Damageplan, Darrell's current project, took the stage and shooting Darrell four to five times at close range, before being pulled off the guitarist by members of the club's staff.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The incident happened at the Alrosa Villa on the city's north side where about 200 patrons were on hand for a performance by Damageplan, according to Sgt. Brent Mull, spokesman for the Columbus police.
He said a man walked on stage and began shooting. A police officer called to the scene shot and killed the gunman, Mull said, and in so doing "we believed he saved other lives."
At least one band member was believed to be among the dead, he said. Two people who were wounded were taken to a hospital.
Mull said the motive for the shooting was not known.
The NBC television affiliate in Columbus, WCMH, reported that one of the dead was Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell. It said the band was playing its first song in a set when the gunman ran on stage and began shooting.
Dimebag Darrell and brother Vinnie Paul were best know for their work in metal band Pantera. The musical brothers left the Grammy Nominated act following a nasty battle, but were poised to achieve even greater success with their new crew, Damageplan. "New Found Power", the band's debut release, received critical acclaim & hit #38 on the charts.
-Sean