COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Loud music made it hard to hear the last words of a man who jumped on stage and killed a guitarist and three other people at a concert Wednesday night before being shot and killed by a police officer, Ohio police said.

Two members of the heavy metal band Damageplan were killed. Darrell Abbott, who was known as "Dimebag Darrell," was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people inside the club were shot and killed. Police identified one of the shooting victims as Nathan Bray, 23, who was in the audience. Erin Halk, 29, also died. Police did not know whether he was associated with the band or was part of the crowd.

Abbott is a former member of the popular band Pantera.

A police official said witnesses heard someone accuse Abbott, a guitarist for Damageplan, of breaking up his former band. Police are not sure if the speaker was the gunman or a fan.

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Video: Ohio Shooting: 'I Thought It Was Staged'

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Witnesses said the man jumped an eight-foot security fence and was being followed through the crowd by security before the shooting. The man who opened fire on band members of Damageplan also wounded two other people.

An officer described the fatal shootings during the heavy metal concert as "a horrific scene."

The shooting took place shortly after 10 p.m. at the Alrosa Villa nightclub. Police said that they are searching for a motive. A crowd of about 250 people was inside for the concert by Damageplan.

Police said a police officer shot and killed the gunman, identified as Nathan Gale, 25, a man with a minor arrest record in his hometown of Marysville, Ohio. He was pulled over for driving on a suspended license last month.

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"He's playing the guitar and (the gunman) just went right up to him," witness Jim Climer said. "He started blowing his brains out, basically. Dimebag was still playing. He didn't know what was going on, and that's when he hit the ground."

Police spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio identified the gunman as Gale. She said there was no information on a motive or if he had any connection to the band.

"(The gunman) came on stage, from the back, like he knew what he was doing and went straight to Dimebag Darrell immediately," an unidentified witness said.

The gunman reportedly shot and killed another member of the band before firing shots into the crowd.

The police spokesman said it "would have been a lot worse" if the policeman, Officer James D. Niggemeyer, had not responded as quickly as he did.

The band took the stage shortly after 10 p.m., and minutes later, a man who was wearing a hockey jersey and a hooded sweatshirt, began firing at point-blank range at least four times at Abbott.

A witness said the gunman appeared to have some kind of "grudge" when he jumped on stage and shot the guitarist several times.

Witnesses said that several shots were fired at the band before a bouncer tackled the gunman.

Niggemeyer entered the nightclub, and then shot and killed the gunman during an apparent hostage situation, police said. Columbus Police Sgt. Brent Mull said that the gunman was holding a person hostage at the time he was shot.

According to Mull, amateur video was taken from inside the nightclub and investigators were examining the tape to see if they could determine the events that led to the shootings.

There were no Columbus police officers inside the club due to a policy that prohibits officers from working inside liquor establishments, Mull said. Alrosa Villa management was in charge of the building's security, Mull said.

As for a motive, police said they have none.

"Unless he left a note (behind), we may never know," Mull said.

According to police, the gunman had a hostage in a headlock position and moved slightly, allowing Niggemeyer a clear shot.

A female fan said at first she thought the shooting was part of the show, but once she saw the guitarist fall she "decided to get out of there."

The fan said she wasn't searched on her way in. She added that she didn't see any metal detectors or uniformed police officers at the venue.

Of the surviving victims, one person was in critical condition and the other was in fair condition, according to WCMH-TV in Columbus. Several others were treated at the scene, suffering from various injuries.

Columbus police were flooded with 911 calls from concertgoers right after the shooting. Many people who were injured during the shooting spree and in the chaos that followed were put on buses and treated for injuries at the scene.

Alrosa Villa is a popular north Columbus nightspot for young adults, featuring rock and heavy metal bands.

According to the band's Web site, Damageplan was touring nationally. It performed in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday night and had a concert scheduled in Flint, Mich., on Thursday.

Damageplan featured former Pantera artists Abbott and Vinnie Paul. The pair was joined by vocalist Patrick Lachman and bassist Bobzilla, according to the band's Web site.