Club Owner: Little Could Have Been Done To Prevent DIMEBAG's Murder

Mark S. Krzos of Southern Florida's The News-Press reports:

While PANTERA's local fans called Dimebag Darrell's death one of metal's greatest losses — perhaps the most significant death in the genre since OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982 — some nightclub managers and owners maintain it's an isolated incident.

"There's almost nothing you can do to stop something like that," says Ricochet owner Keith Stengel. "The guy sounds like he was really sick."

Gaye Levine, the former manager of the Fort Myers rock club Neptunes, says the shooting that forced the closure of her club earlier this year also couldn't be stopped.

"All metal detectors are is a deterrent," she says. "On the night of our shooting, the man left the club, went out to his car, grabbed a gun and then came back, pointed it the guy at the front door and said, 'I'm goin’ in.' When you have a gun pointed at you, what else can you do?"

Doug Baker, major of operations for the Fort Myers Police Department, said in instances where intent to injure is so strong, there’s little anyone can do to stop them.

"Look at 9/11," he says. "If someone is so bent on committing a violent act — if their will is so strong, it'll be difficult for anyone to stop them. The only thing anyone can do is provide enough security to try and ensure the safety of their customers."
Ricochet, which has since become the area's premier club venue for national touring acts, employs the use of metal detectors at some shows.

"We use it if we think there could be a problem," says Stengel, who also requires male patrons to have their shirts tucked in. "We do that so we can see if they're carrying anything."

Stengel also says four bouncers guard the stage for every concert, no matter what type of musical genre.

Levine hopes that Wednesday's incident doesn’t become a battle cry against rock 'n' roll.

"I can see it now ... People here are going to say, 'See, it's not just hip-hop,'" she says. "This is going to be a knee-jerk reaction to a single incident by a deranged person."