| Media Still Missing Crucial Detail in Nightclub Shooting |
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| Written by Daniel White | |
| Saturday, 22 October 2005 | |
A new police report was detailed by the AP yesterday claiming new details in the Columbus nightclub shooting last year that left former Pantera guitarist (Dimebag) Darrell Abbott dead.
The report details the chaotic scene during the shooting. Witnesses and victims alike were unable to agree upon the details of the event, often getting the sequence of events wrong or omitting important details. The media should know about omitting important details regarding this story. Every one neglects to mention what was reported on this site last year, that a CHL holder was within 5 feet of the shooter BEFORE Darrell was killed; but was unable to save the musician after being disarmed by one of Ohio's many Criminal Protection Zones. (Columbus nightclub: Disarmed CHL-holder watched helplessly as people died). (Click 'READ MORE' to continue...) Despite Roger's proximity to the shooter, he was unable to intervene because unlike the killer, he was obeying the law. This is yet another example of the truth that laws only deter those who are inclined to follow them. The fact that these details are not reported by the media speak to their bias towards guns and the fact that firearms are not inherently evil. It is the actions of the individual wielding them that are to blame. Never mind the fact that the rampage was eventually brought to an end by a police officer who had a gun. But the question remains; how many fewer victims would there have been if Roger had been allowed to exercise his rights. ---------- COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new police report details a chaotic scene at a concert here last December, when a gunman climbed on stage and shot former Pantera guitarist (Dimebag) Darrell Abbott three times in the head. At the heavy metal concert by the group Damageplan, Nathan Gale, 25, killed four people, including Abbott. A Columbus policeman later shot and killed Gale. Nearly 300 witness interviews, released Thursday in a 627-page report, showed people were confused about the sequence of the shootings at the Alrosa Villa nightclub. Witnesses said Gale sneaked into the concert before opening fire with his 9-mm handgun. Christopher Paluska, Damageplan's tour manager, said he was shot first as he tried to prevent the gunman from climbing onto the stage. It was previously believed Abbott was the initial victim. Paluska was one of three people who were shot but survived. Another, stage technician John Brooks, wrestled with Gale, who pinned him as a hostage as police moved toward the stage. Officer James Niggemeyer then killed Gale with one shotgun blast while he was holding Brooks hostage. Brooks told investigators although he didn't hear Niggemeyer fire at Gale, he felt Gale's grip weaken and hurried off the stage. A grand jury cleared Niggemeyer, 31, of any wrongdoing in May. Gale still had 35 bullets left when killed, investigators said. During the melee, Damageplan drummer Vincent Abbott hid behind amplifiers and lead singer Patrick Lachman screamed into the microphone for someone to call the police. Gale's mother has said her son was obsessed with Pantera and believed the band had stolen song lyrics from him. The band was nominated for Grammys for best metal performance in 1995 for I'm Broken and in 2001 for Revolution Is My Name before Abbott left the group. Gale had told both his mother and a former employer that he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic before he was discharged from the marines in October 2003, two years into a four-year stint. Military records do not mention mental illness as the reason for the discharge. |