User:GhostRiver/dimebag

On December 8, 2004, four people were killed and three others were wounded in a mass shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The primary target of the attack was "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was on stage performing with his band Damageplan at the time of the shooting. Three minutes after opening fire, the perpetrator, 25-year-old Nathan Gale, was shot and killed by police officer James Niggemeyer.

[victims go here]

No motive was confirmed for the shooting. Gale, a former member of the United States Marine Corps, had told his mother and employer that he had been discharged from the military due to paranoid schizophrenia, and many of Gale's friends had observed what they considered erratic behavior in the months leading up to the shooting. [possible motives here]

Several heavy metal artists released songs in tribute to Abbott, and the incident led to an increased security presence at concerts. While Niggemeyer's actions were met with praise, he retired from the police department in 2011 with post-traumatic stress disorder. Abbott's brother and Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul resented bandmate Phil Anselmo for his perceived role in influencing the shooter, and remained distant from the rest of the band until his death in 2018.

Background
Darrell Lance Abbott, better known by his stage name of "Dimebag Darrell", founded the American heavy metal band Pantera in 1981 alongside his brother Vinnie Paul.

On April 5, 2004, a man named Nathan Gale interrupted a Damageplan performance at Bogart's nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gale charged the stage and caused $1,800 worth of damage to amplifiers and lighting as guards attempted to remove him from the venue. The band continued to play through the interruption, and Lachman joked at the time that Gale was the "fifth member of the [expletive] band". The officers who responded to a 9-1-1 call about the incident described Gale's actions as criminal endangerment and destruction of property, but Damageplan chose not to press charges, as they did not want to return to Cincinnati for court proceedings.

Aftermath
On December 7, 2021, the Alrosa Villa was demolished to create 180 affordable apartment units as part of a Columbus housing project.