Dimebag shooting not motivated by split

Ten months after Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot to death by a disturbed gunman during a show in Columbus, Ohio, police have concluded that Abbott's killer, Nathan Gale, was not motivated to shoot Abbott by the breakup of his previous band, Pantera. According to the Columbus Dispatch, detectives working on the case issued a 627-page report in which they stated, "There is no evidence leading detectives to believe Nathan Gale was communicating with (former Pantera singer) Phil Anselmo or any other individual...in an effort to hurt Dimebag Darrell Abbott."

Gale killed three others and wounded three more before being shot to death himself by police officer James Niggemeyer.

Ever since the December 8th incident, it has been theorized that the unstable ex-Marine was distraught over the end of Pantera, reportedly his favorite band, and a public war of words between Anselmo, Abbott, and Abbott's brother, Damageplan and Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul.

Police searched Gale's apartment and found no "computers or magazines or compact discs" connected with either Damageplan or Pantera, although a Damageplan CD was found in the car that Gale drove to the Alrosa Villa club on the night of the killings.

Investigators interviewed 287 eyewitnesses to the shootings, including members of Damageplan and their crew, club staff, and fans, but have not been able to discover a motive.

Among the other details in the police report, it was revealed that Gale entered the club by climbing a wooden fence that surrounded its outdoor patio. He entered the club without a ticket, despite efforts by a security guard to stop him.
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