UPDATED: NBC4 is reporting that at least five people died, including the gunman, in a shooting at Columbus nightclub Alrosa Villa on Wednesday night. Among those killed was "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott of heavy metal band Damageplan (formerly of Pantera), who were just beginning their performance when the attack occured. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The police have released the names of two others who died. They were Nathan Bray and Erin Halk, both audience members. The alleged gunman reportedly shot and killed another at the scene (rumored to be another member of Damageplan) but that person's name has not been released.
Witnesses reported that shortly after 10 PM when the band was playing its first song, a man ran onto the stage and began shooting. After a flood of 911 calls, Columbus police officer James D. Niggemeyer entered the nightclub minutes later and shot and killed the gunman. He was identified by police as Nathan Gale, 25, of Marysville.
Doug Sabolick - A Life Once Lost - "A sad fucking day for sure, some miserable 20 something fuck killed a legend. A man who inspired so many to rip and thrash. Pantera was and still is my favorite group and Dimebag was the one who inspired me the pick up the axe , the bottle and the joint and just fucking RIP! I remember being 13 years old and just blasting "Far Beyond Driven" all day long. Darrell was who I looked up to, someone who did things on his own terms and still succeeded!
"To the dumb fuck who did this I hope you rot in hell you miserable scumbag!"
Phil Labonte - All That Remains "I don't know what to say the whole band is shocked our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone!
Cory Brandon of Norma Jean - "I think it's insane and scary and most of all sad that this had to happen. how lame. hearing about this sort of stuff pretty much pisses me off! Metal will miss that dude for sure. I liked him. RIP "cowboy from hell."
Dan Jacobs Atreyu - "It's a sad day when being such a good guitar player can get you killed. Metal will never be the same."
Keith Buckley - Every Time I Die - " There are alot of counterfactuals involved in senseless deaths like that of Dimebags. What if it had been one of our shows. What if there are more people than we know capable of such atrocities. What if it had been me. But these "what-ifs" only come about after a period of reflection. The more sincere questions are the most immediate. Mine was this. "Why did Pantera break up in the first place".
Trevor - Unearth - "This is a sad day for Heavy Metal, Rock'n'roll and for all his family, friends and legion of fans around the world.
Dimebag Darrell was one of the nicest and most genuine human beings all of us in Unearth have ever met. His presence, music and most of all his friendship will be dearly missed. Dime loved life, cared about people and was a true rock icon. Everything about him was admirable.
Our thoughts and hearts go out to his family and friends."
Ed Conroy - Full Blown Chaos - "That's a idol and a legend gone for no reason. There is no reason for something like this to happen and it's frightening to think if this could happen in the future if ,say, some crazed fan jumps on stage and does something like that at a full blown show. With Darrell, man, it's just a waste of talent. People all over are just bummed out about it. Whether he was a friend or not, his influence can be heard all around music now.
Mark Morton of Lamb of God - "Dime's music was a huge influence on me personally and on Lamb of God as a whole. As a guitar player he was a true inovator. His sound tone and style shapped modern metal and his riffs are constantly referenced by nearly every band in metal including my own. Only recently did i have the pleasure of hanging out with him on a personal level and he was as genuine and down to earth as anyone you would ever meet. This is a huge loss to the music world."
Bobby C. - A Life Once Lost - "Not only was Dime progressive musician, his image and style of playing changed the face of metal to this day…Light one up in his memory." -