Last Updated: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 Update Exclusive: Damageplan Concert Tragedy - “I Harassed Him All Night” Updated: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 A Berretta 92FS, the type of weapon police say shooter Nathan Gale used. The 92FS would be impossible to conceal during a body search at 8.5" long and nearly two pounds in weight. Five months after the Damageplan concert tragedy at Alrosa Villa concert hall in Columbus, Ohio, many questions about that rock and roll shootout remain unanswered. To date, a consistent pro-concert industry theme has gotten the greatest media attention. That spin goes something like this: Nothing could have been done to stop the emotionally troubled shooter Nathan Gale from carrying out his deadly deeds. Rock publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin, Blender and Pollstar and even many newspapers have drawn that conclusion. But all of them have failed to perform a detailed investigation, or ask Alrosa Villa management and its security hard questions about their failure to secure their building. None have dared ask Damageplan agents and the band what they knew about Mr. Gale prior to the tragedy, and what steps were taken to protect the band members from him. These questions have also been left to Crowd Management Strategies to raise and hopefully the Columbus Police Department---or the courts---to answer. No one knows for sure what drove Mr. Gale to bring a Berretta 92FS along with several magazine clips to Alrosa Villa that night. Nobody knows for sure at this time, if Mr. Gale had definitely decided to use his heavy weapon against Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott and other innocents inside the concert hall. Certainly, if his acts were premeditated, Mr. Gale could have bought a ticket at the front door and walked in without much chance of his weapon being discovered. He could have done this because Alrosa Villa was not patting down or (metal detector) wanding ticketholders that night, an eyewitness concertgoer told Crowd Management Strategies. Alrosa Villa employees have already acknowledged that they were aware that Mr. Gale lurked outside the venue and near the Damageplan tour bus (hoping for a chance meeting with former Pantera band members Darrell Abott and Vinny Paul, with whom he had a grudge). They have acknowledged that some employees tried to drive Mr. Gale away, but had little success, or lost interest. But what has not been made public is that at least one alleged Alrosa Villa security guard bragged that he gave Mr. Gale a hard time prior to the concert tragedy. That acknowledgement is a bombshell because it may, possibly, have been the act that triggered, or helped trigger, Mr. Gale’s rampage. A copy of a video from the evening of December 8 has been obtained by Crowd Management Strategies that includes a segment featuring Alrosa Villa employees, concertgoers and concert security discussing the tragedy as they apparently waited to give statements to the Columbus Police. Several security guards are heard recalling when they first noticed Mr. Gale, or when he was discovered entering the venue. The most shocking statement comes from a person identified by a concertgoer as an Alrosa Villa security guard. The guard is clearly heard claiming that he recognized Mr. Gale when he entered Alrosa Villa because he had hassled the shooter earlier that evening. Alrosa Villa Security Guard: “I saw a guy jump over the fence, plop on the ground, hey, I was right behind him…” Unidentified Person: “And you knew it was [Nathan Gale]? Alrosa Villa Security Guard: “Yes, I harassed him all night.” One does not have to be a psychiatrist to know that the guard’s teasing might have been what helped set off the obsessed Mr. Gale. Of course, what the Alrosa Villa security guard did to harass Mr. Gale, and why, are yet more missing pieces in the December 8 puzzle. Answers are needed. Crowd Management Strategies has said from the beginning, that this horrific tragedy was reasonably preventable, or certainly could have been mitigated, had proper security and venue management procedures been in place by Alrosa Villa and Damageplan agents. This latest revelation adds further weight to that viewpoint. [ home ][ crowdcafe ][ new ][ crowdshop ][ contact ] Crowd Management Strategies © 1997 - 2006. All rights reserved. Crowdsafe is a registered trademark of Crowd Management Strategies © 2006.