DIMEBAG Murder: Images From Home Video Posted Online

December 20, 2004

A slideshow containing blurry images from the home video filmed inside Columbus, Ohio's Alrosa Villa nightclub the night of the deadly shooting that claimed the life of DAMAGEPLAN/ex-PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott has been posted online at this location. A News Channel 5 TV report containing the actual video footage can be viewed at this location (note: the TV report erroneously displays an image of former PANTERA head of security "Big Val" and misidentifies him as slain DAMAGEPLAN bodyguard Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson).

As reported here yesterday, the video was taken by a Cincinnati couple, who was in the audience at the Alrosa Villa nightclub when five people were shot to death on Dec. 8.

Jerry Wessler Jr. was with his girlfriend who had a camcorder rolling when the shooting began. The first thing you hear on the home video is gunfire, WLWT-TV reported.

Wessler jumped on stage after he realized it was real gunfire and not part of the act.

"I was the only one that touched that stage that didn't die," Wessler said.

Wessler's girlfriend was about 20 feet from the stage when the first shot was fired. From her angle, you can see all the commotion on the stage. "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, the lead guitarist for the group DAMAGEPLAN, is on the floor, surrounded by security and mortally wounded.

Moments after he started playing, police said Nathan Gale jumped on stage and shot him multiple times in the head.

"There was shots and shots and shots, Darrell went down," Wessler said.

Four people, including the shooter, died that night.

"There was just nothing but crying, a lot of people screaming, just out of control grief," Wessler said.

Wessler wondered why security wasn’t tighter, why fans were not required to go through metal detectors or be searched.

"You're not just protecting the band, you're protecting the people that are coming to your place," Wessler said.

The club did not have surveillance cameras.

Police are still investigating the shooting. They said they may never know the motive.

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