Event photography by James DeCamp.

Alrosa Villa ‘Dimebag Darrell’ Shooting

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Below are images from the scene of a mass shooting at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004.

Four people were killed and seven wounded in the crossfire during one of the concerts. Concerts scheduled for the night included Damageplan (with 2 former members of Pantera) DimeBag and Vinne with special guest Position 6 and 12 Gauge.
Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Diesel Machine and Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and later Bob Zilla on bass. Damageplan released its debut album New Found Power in the United States on February 10, 2004, which debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200, selling 44,676 copies in its first week. While Damageplan was promoting the album at a concert on December 8, 2004 at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, a man named Nathan Gale climbed on stage and killed lead guitarist Darrell and three others, and wounding another seven, before being shot dead by police officer James Niggemeyer.
Although no motive was found, some witnesses claimed Gale blamed the brothers for Pantera’s breakup and believed that they had stolen his lyrics. The band’s manager confirmed there are unreleased Damageplan recordings, although they have not surfaced, and the band has not performed since the incident. Abbott and Zilla have joined the band Hellyeah, and Lachman joined The Mercy Clinic.

 

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics transport one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics transport one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics transport one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics transport one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

People hug in the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

People hug in the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

People hug in the parkinglot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

People hug in the parkinglot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Columbus Police guard the doors from the parking lot as Columbus, Worthington & Clinton Twp Medics work on one of seven shooting victims at the Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Road late Wednesday night December 8, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

 

Darrell Abbott also known as Dimebag Darrell and Diamond Darrell, was an American musician and songwriter who was a co-founder of Pantera alongside his brother Vinnie Paul, and founder of Damageplan. He was considered to be one of the driving forces behind groove metal.

Abbott was shot and killed by a gunman while on stage during a performance with Damageplan on December 8, 2004, at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. He ranked No. 92 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists and No. 1 in the UK magazine, Metal Hammer.

On December 8, 2004, 34 dates into the Devastation Across The Nation tour, Abbott was shot on-stage while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. A crowd of approximately 250 had watched four support acts (two local bands entitled Volume Dealer and 12 Gauge, and the tour support Shadows Fall and The Haunted), when moments into Damageplan’s set, 25-year-old former Marine Nathan Gale shot Abbott five times in the head with a 9 mm Beretta 92FS pistol. Some in attendance initially believed the shooting was part of the act, but as Gale continued shooting, the audience quickly came to the realization that the event was not staged. Firing a total of 15 shots, Gale killed three other people and wounded seven more.

Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson, the band’s head of security, was killed tackling Gale, as was Alrosa Villa employee Erin Halk. Audience member Nathan Bray was killed while trying to perform CPR on Abbott and Thompson. It was rumored that one crowd member leapt in front of the gunman, saving the lives of several band members. Damageplan’s drum technician, John “Kat” Brooks, was shot three times as he attempted to disarm Gale, but was overpowered and taken hostage in a headlock hold. Tour manager Chris Paluska was also injured.

Responding within three minutes to a dispatch call made at 10:15pm, seven police officers entered through the front entrance and moved toward the stage. Officer James Niggemeyer came in through the back door, behind the stage. Gale only saw the officers in front of the stage; he did not see Niggemeyer, who was armed with a 12 gauge Remington 870 shotgun. Niggemeyer approached Gale from the opposite side of the stage past a group of security guards, and saw Gale lift his gun to Brooks’ head, and fired a single shot as Gale noticed him. Gale was struck in the face with eight of the nine buckshot pellets and killed instantly. Gale was found to have had 35 rounds of ammunition remaining.

Two fans administered CPR on Abbott until paramedics arrived, but were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Early speculation about motive suggested that Gale, who was a Pantera fan, might have turned to violence in response to the breakup of the band, or the public dispute between Abbott and Pantera singer Phil Anselmo, but these were later ruled out by investigators. In VH1‘s documentary, Behind the Music, Damageplan’s sound engineer Aaron Barnes stated that the whole time, after shooting Dimebag, Gale was looking for Vinnie, possibly planning to murder him too. Another conjecture was that Gale believed Abbott had stolen a song that he had written. About six months prior to the shooting, Gale got into an altercation at a Damageplan concert in Cincinnati where he damaged $5,000 worth of equipment while being removed from the stage by security.

 

Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses

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Ohio Supreme Court Forum

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The Ohio Supreme Court candidates, Bill O’Neill, Terrence O’Donnell, Nancy Fuerst, and Judith Ann Lanzinger participate in an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street.

 

Ohio News Networks John Fortney leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

Ohio News Networks John Fortney leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, standing, leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, standing, leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, standing, leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, standing, leads the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race through an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, sitting on table, talks with the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race, left to right - William O’Neill, Terrence O’Donnell, Nancy Fuerst, and Judith Ann Lanzinger before an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

Ohio News Networks John Fortney, sitting on table, talks with the candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court race, left to right – William O’Neill, Terrence O’Donnell, Nancy Fuerst, and Judith Ann Lanzinger before an on air forum sponsored by ONN and the League of Women Voters Thursday night October 21, 2004 at the Court building on Front Street. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Terrence O’Donnell is an American Justice of the supreme court of the U.S. state of Ohio.  He served as a Cuyahoga County, common pleas court judge for 15 years until 1994, when he ran for a seat on the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Eighth District against former Ohio Chief Justice Frank Celebrezze. He defeated Celebrezze and served on the Eighth District bench until his resignation to run for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2000 in a failed attempt to unseat Ohio Supreme Court Justice Alice Robie Resnik. In 2003, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Deborah L. Cook resigned from the court to accept an appointment by the George W. Bush administration to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Governor Robert A. Taft II then appointed O’Donnell to fill the vacancy, effective May 2003. On November 2, 2004, O’Donnell won a special election, defeating Democrat William M. O’Neill with 61% of the vote, entitling him to finish Cook’s term, which ended in 2006. He won re-election in 2006, again defeating O’Neill by almost 20 points, and was sworn in January 2007 to a full six-year term.

Judith Lanzinger is an American jurist. She retired as a justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. She has long been involved in the legal profession. After graduating from the University of Toledo, she attended the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada, Reno, at which she was the second woman nationwide to be awarded a master’s degree in judicial studies; she has taught classes in this field since 1990. Lanzinger’s professional career included many different positions in the halls of justice: Toledo Municipal Court, the Lucas County Common Pleas Court, and the Sixth District Court of Appeals. Lanzinger, a Republican, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2004, taking office on New Year’s Day 2005.

Nancy A. Fuerst is a judge on the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas General Division in Cleveland, Ohio. She joined the court in 1997. Fuerst was re-elected to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in 2014, winning a new term that expires on January 1, 2021.

William Michael O’Neill is an American lawyer, judge and political figure. He was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012, for a term beginning January 2013. He served as an appellate judge on the Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals for 10 years. Twice, O’Neill was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative in Ohio’s 14th congressional district. He announced on October 29, 2017 as a candidate for Ohio Governor in the 2018 election.

On October 29, 2017, O’Neill announced that he would join the Democratic primary for Ohio governor. During his announcement, he laid out a platform of minimum wage increases, tax incentives for solar power, mental health care expansion and marijuana legalization in Ohio. Less than a week later he announced that he will recuse himself from new Supreme Court cases and will resign by the February 7, filing deadline due to potential ethical conflicts.

On November 17, 2017, O’Neill stirred controversy by posting a Facebook post responding to recent controversy regarding allegations of sexual assault against U.S. Senator Al Franken. He referred to those speaking against Franken as “dogs of war” and decried a “national feeding frenzy” against age-old sexual indiscretions, and he stated that speaking on behalf of all heterosexual males that he been sexually intimate with 50 attractive females in the past fifty years. In response, his communications director resigned from his campaign. Multiple state officials, including Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, former state representative and fellow gubernatorial candidate Connie Tillich, Dayton mayor and fellow gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley, and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, criticized O’Neill’s comments, with Pillich and Whaley calling for him to resign from his position as associate justice. O’Neill refused to apologize, and told his critics to “lighten up.”

 

Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.

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Grant Hospital Demolition

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The demise of Grant Hospital as seen from atop the parking garage at the corner of 5th and Oak streets in downtown Columbus Sunday May 9, 2004.

The demise of Grant Hospital as seen from atop the parking garage at the corner of 5th and Oak streets in downtown columbus Sunday May 9, 2004. (© James D. DeCamp 614-367-6366)

(© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

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Linden-McKinley HS Melee

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Columbus Paramedics transport an number of people after a fight broke out at the end of a basketball game at Linden-McKinley High School in Columbus, Ohio Tuesday night January 27, 2004.  The basketball game against Beechcroft High School came to an abrupt end when a fight broke out between the players and then fans joined in.  Columbus Police used Mace® in the gymnasium to try and break up the fight. Four people were treated for use of Mace®, one for a heart attack, and one with an asthma attack, non were transported according to scanner traffic.

 

Linden-McKinley High School Basketball player #42 is lead away from the gymnasium of Linden-McKinley by Columbus Paramedics after a fight broke out at the end of the schools basketball game against Beechcroft High School late Tuesday night January 27, 2004. According to paramedics the player was suffering from an asthma attack that was brought on by the use of Mace® by Columbus Police in the gymnasium to try and break up a fight. Four people were treated for use of Mace®, one for a heart attack, and one with an asthma attack, non were transported according to scanner traffic. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses] A woman is loaded into a stretcher/wheelchair outside of the gymnasium of Linden-McKinley High School by Columbus Paramedics after a fight broke out at the end of the schools basketball game against Beechcroft High School late Tuesday night January 27, 2004. According to paramedics the woman was suffering from exposure to Mace® used by Columbus Police in the gymnasium to try and break up a fight. Four people were treated for use of Mace®, one for a heart attack, and one with an asthma attack. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses] A woman is loaded into a stretcher/wheelchair outside of the gymnasium of Linden-McKinley High School by Columbus Paramedics after a fight broke out at the end of the schools basketball game against Beechcroft High School late Tuesday night January 27, 2004. According to paramedics the woman was suffering from exposure to Mace® used by Columbus Police in the gymnasium to try and break up a fight. Four people were treated for use of Mace®, one for a heart attack, and one with an asthma attack. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses] A woman is loaded into a stretcher/wheelchair outside of the gymnasium of Linden-McKinley High School by Columbus Paramedics after a fight broke out at the end of the schools basketball game against Beechcroft High School late Tuesday night January 27, 2004. According to paramedics the woman was suffering from exposure to Mace® used by Columbus Police in the gymnasium to try and break up a fight. Four people were treated for use of Mace®, one for a heart attack, and one with an asthma attack. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

[Photographed with Canon 1D MkII cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses]

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Jefferson Golf Course Fire

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Firefighters from more than 7 different departments battle a blaze at the Jefferson Golf Course Club House Friday February 11, 2000. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the clubhouse, apparently jumped from one building to the other and caused a general alarm (3+) on the East side. No one was reported injured.

 

Mifflin Twp. Firefighter Bruce Day cuts a ventilation hole in the roof of the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the club house, apparently jumped from one building to the other cause a general alarm (3+) on the east side. More than 7 different fire departments turned out for the event. No one was reported injured as far as I know. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Mifflin Twp. Firefighter Bruce Day cuts a ventilation hole in the roof of the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon February 11, 2000.

Firefighters from more than 7 different departments battle a blaze at the Jefferson Golf Course Club House Friday February 11, 2000. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the clubhouse, apparently jumped from one building to the other and caused a general alarm (3+) on the East side. No one was reported injured. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Firefighters from more than 7 different departments battle a blaze at the Jefferson Golf Course Club House Friday February 11, 2000. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the clubhouse, apparently jumped from one building to the other and caused a general alarm (3+) on the East side. No one was reported injured. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Mifflin Twp. ladder 131, left, and Columbus ladder 28 pour water on the roof of the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the club house, apparently jumped from one building to the other causing a general alarm (3+) on the east side. More than 7 different fire departments turned out for the event. No one was reported injured as far as I know. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Mifflin Twp. ladder 131, left, and Columbus ladder 28 pour water on the roof of the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon February 11, 2000.

Firefighters from more than 7 different departments battle a blaze at the Jefferson Golf Course Club House Friday February 11, 2000. The fire which started in an out building about 100 yards from the clubhouse, apparently jumped from one building to the other and caused a general alarm (3+) on the East side. No one was reported injured. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Mifflin Twp. Firefighters Fred Kauser front, and John Hoffman, rear, drag 5 inch line out of a fire building near the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon. The fire, which started in this out building about 100 yards from the club house, apparently jumped from one building to the other cause a general alarm (3+) on the east side. More than 7 different fire departments turned out for the event. No one was reported injured as far as I know. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed with Canon EOS D2000 cameras in RAW mode with L series lenses.]

Mifflin Twp. Firefighters Fred Kauser front, and John Hoffman, rear, drag 5 inch line out of a fire building near the Jefferson Golf Course Club House late Friday afternoon February 11, 2000.

 

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Alva Campbell

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The February 1998 trial of Alva Campbell.

 

Defendant Alva Campbell puts his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed by a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D after the jury left the courtroom to go on a viewing of the various places that Campbell visited on his crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Defendant Alva Campbell puts his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed by a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D after the jury left the courtroom to go on a viewing of the various places that Campbell visited on his crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Kayla Dials, sister of the murder victim (Charles Dials, AKA Charlie Dials) that Defendant Alva Campbell supposedly killed, breaks down and is comforted by her mom Arlena Hughes, left, during opening statements as prosecuting attorney Ron O' Brien describes Campbell actions in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Kayla Dials, sister of the murder victim (Charles Dials, AKA Charlie Dials) that Defendant Alva Campbell supposedly killed, breaks down and is comforted by her mom Arlena Hughes, left, during opening statements as prosecuting attorney Ron O’ Brien describes Campbell actions in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Former Franklin County Sheriff Deputy Teresa Harrison breaks down on the witness stand as she describes how Defendant Alva Campbell beat her and took her sidearm last year as she was transferring him from the FCCC to court. Her testimony today was before a jury and Judge Connor in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Former Franklin County Sheriff Deputy Teresa Harrison breaks down on the witness stand February 24, 1998, as she describes how Defendant Alva Campbell beat her and took her sidearm last year as she was transferring him from the FCCC to court. Her testimony today was before a jury and Judge Connor in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Defendant Alva Campbell sits flanked by his attorneys George Luther, left, and William Moon, right, as former Franklin County Sheriff Deputy Teresa Harrison recants of Campbell beat her and stole her service handgun last year. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Defendant Alva Campbell sits flanked by his attorneys George Luther, left, and William Moon, right, as former Franklin County Sheriff Deputy Teresa Harrison recants of Campbell beat her and stole her service handgun in 1997. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D February 24, 1998. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Defendant Alva Campbell puts his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed by a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D after the jury left the courtroom to go on a viewing of the various places that Campbell visited on his crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Defendant Alva Campbell puts his hands behind his back so he can be handcuffed by a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy. This was in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D February 24, 1998 after the jury left the courtroom to go on a viewing of the various places that Campbell visited on his crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Defendant Alva Campbell talks with his attorney George Luther in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D after the jury left the courtroom. Campbell is charged with a crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Defendant Alva Campbell talks with his attorney George Luther in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D February 24, 1998 after the jury left the courtroom. Campbell is charged with a crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Defendant Alva Campbell talks with his attorney George Luther in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D after the jury left the courtroom. Campbell is charged with a crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Defendant Alva Campbell talks with his attorney George Luther in Franklin County Common Pleas Courtroom 6D February 24, 1998 after the jury left the courtroom. Campbell is charged with a crime spree last year that ended in the death of 18 year old Dials after Campbell kidnapped him in an escape attempt from a Franklin County Sheriff Deputy as he was being taken to court. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

This is a scan of a button that the family of murder victim Charles Dials (Charlie Dials) was trying to wear in court today in the case of Alva Campbell - the accused murderer. The family was told that they could not wear them in court and when I asked to photograph it the grandmother of Dials gave it to me. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

This is a scan of a button that the family of murder victim Charles Dials (Charlie Dials) was trying to wear in court today in the case of Alva Campbell – the accused murderer. The family was told that they could not wear them in court and when I asked to photograph it the grandmother of Dials gave it to me February 24, 1998. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

Head shot of Teresa Harrison. Sheriff's deputy who was involved in the Alva Campbell escape. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Head shot of Teresa Harrison. Sheriff’s deputy who was involved in the Alva Campbell escape, photographed during Alva Campbell’s trial February 24, 1998. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366)

All images photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Corrections postponed the execution of Alva Campbell on November 15, 2017 after failing to find a viable vein for a lethal injection — but it plans to try again. Ohio Governor John Kasich said that the execution has been rescheduled to June 5, 2019.

Prison officials had been warned about Alva Campbell’s extensive health problems but said they were confident they could carry out the execution.

They provided a wedge-shaped pillow to help him breathe during the procedure, but it was problems with his veins that caused the issue. The team tried for about 30 minutes to find an injection site before the execution was called off, according to media witnesses.

“It was my decision that it was not likely that we’re going to access veins,” said Gary Mohr, head of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, according to the Associated Press.

Gov. John Kasich, who rejected clemency for Campbell, will set the new execution date, according to the correction department.

Campbell, 69, is on death row for shooting 18-year-old Charles Dials in cold blood during a carjacking following his 1997 escape from custody on armed robbery charges.

Campbell, who had already served 20 years for an earlier murder, pretended he was paralyzed to stage that getaway. But his lawyers say there is nothing fake about his illnesses now.

“Campbell suffers from lung cancer, COPD, respiratory failure, prostate cancer, hip replacement, and severe pneumonia,” they wrote in a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Campbell must take oxygen treatments four times a day in order to function, and he relies on a walker for very limited mobility.”

His legal team also says he is also allergic to midazolam, the sedative Ohio uses in its lethal injection.

His medical condition sets the stage for an execution that is so excruciating that it would violate the constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment, defense lawyers argued in their briefs.

At one point during the appeals process, Campbell suggested that a firing squad would be a better alternative, but that’s not allowed under current Ohio law.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction had acknowledged it had problems finding a vein during a recent exam, and the 10 a.m. execution was delayed for about an hour Wednesday morning while officials assessed the situation.

The execution team tried to put the needle in four places before witnesses were told to leave the death chamber and Mohr announced the execution would not happen, witnesses said.

The Supreme Court had rejected Campbell’s last-ditch request for a stay of execution on Tuesday. He was also denied clemency by a parole board that was told of an abysmal upbringing rife with sexual abuse and beatings.

“It is easy to blame deceased parents or a childhood for mistakes or even crimes — but not for two separate murders committed decades apart,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told the parole board.

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Gov. George Voinovich

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Govenor George Voinovich watches as speaker of the house Jo Ann Davidson talks about the defeat of state issue two at a conceding press conference in the Ohio Secretary of States office in the Rhodes Tower. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Govenor George Voinovich watches as speaker of the house Jo Ann Davidson talks about the defeat of state issue two at a conceding press conference in the Ohio Secretary of States office in the Rhodes Tower. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Governor George Voinovich talks about the defeat of state issue two at a conceding press conference in the Ohio Secretary of States office in the Rhodes Tower. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Governor George Voinovich talks about the defeat of state issue two at a conceding press conference in the Ohio Secretary of States office in the Rhodes Tower. (© James D. DeCamp | http://www.JamesDeCamp.com | 614-367-6366) [Photographed on Fuji film using Canon F-1 & T-90 cameras with L series lenses. Digitized with Kodak RFS 2035 plus film scanners]

Two days after this year’s election, the New York Times published a list of the results of notable election campaigns, including ballot measures across the country.

Missing from the list was an important ballot measure to workers: An Ohio proposal to gut the state’s workers’ compensation system, the system that provides medical benefits and compensation to workers injured on the job.

In a stunning victory for organized labor, citizen groups and workers’ compensation attorneys, Ohio voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposal known as Issue 2, by a 57-to-43 percent margin.

Big Business in Ohio poured at least three times as much into the “yes” campaign as opponents contributed to the “no” side. Corporate interests probably spent something approaching $10 million on the campaign, although official numbers will not be available until a December disclosure deadline. By mid-October, just the Big 3 automakers, plus Honda (which has a plant in Ohio) had donated approximately a million dollars to the campaign.

The big corporations’ “yes” campaign relied on saturation advertising that alleged injured workers routinely defraud the workers’ comp system (while neglecting to provide any evidence of significant worker fraud) and charged that lawyers representing injured workers siphon money from the workers’ compensation system (without mentioning that those lawyers are necessitated in large part by the highly paid corporate lawyers employed to represent employers and to contest claims that employers know to be valid).

The “yes” campaign was not above employing some dirty tricks. Perhaps the most egregious was a mailing encouraging a “yes” vote that was sent to Democratic voters. The envelope featured a donkey (the Democratic Party’s logo) and said “A Message to Democratic Voters.” To all but the most knowing of eyes, it appeared to be a mailing from the Party — although in fact the Democrats had officially endorsed a “no” vote. In an emergency hearing, the Ohio Election Commission found probable cause that the mailing violated Ohio election law.

The “yes” campaign also prominently featured Republican Governor George Voinovich, who appeared in a couple television commercials and actively campaigned for a “yes” vote. Voinovich degraded himself and the governor’s office by signing on to a fundraising letter to corporations reminding them that, in Ohio, there are no corporate campaign contribution limits for a ballot referendum. Voinovich also sent a letter to contractors with the state, urging them to contribute to the “yes” campaign.

Organized labor, the workers’ compensation lawyers and their allies were able to overcome the massively funded “yes” campaign with a grassroots effort that educated workers (and especially injured workers) of the threat posed by Issue 2. Issue 2, they explained, would make it virtually impossible to get workers’ compensation benefits for workers who contracted carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive motion injuries. Issue 2 would have prevented consideration of a worker’s education, skill level and past work experience in determining whether the worker was permanently and totally disabled. And Issue 2 would have made important records maintained by the state Division of Safety and Hygiene secret.

Organized labor and the opponents of Issue 2 spread their message not just through television advertisements, but through hundreds of thousands of leaflets, mailings, newsletters, phone calls, letters to the editor, demonstrations, lawn signs and buttons. In the weeks leading up to November 4, the campaign really took off — neighbors spoke to each other about Issue 2, workers discussed the referendum at coffee breaks, ministers gave sermons opposing the injustice of Issue 2. People took up the message of the campaign as their own.

On November 4, Ohio voters turned out in relatively large numbers for an off-year election and defeated Issue 2.

On the heels of the successful UPS strike, the Ohio victory on Issue 2 suggests that organized labor may finally be finding its footing. When organized labor mobilizes its members and clearly articulates the concerns of working people, it can attract widespread public support.

But that is a story the major media seems eager to ignore. Instead, they preferred covering ballot measures on matters like assisted suicide and affirmative action — important issues, to be sure, but not questions that so directly challenge corporate power.

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Billy Graham Crusade

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The Greater Columbus Billy Graham Crusade photographed Thursday, September 23, 1993 at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

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All images © James D. DeCamp.  NO SALES, NO ARCHIVES, NO REDISTRIBUTION. Photo may not be used for commercial purposes of any kind without the express written permission of James D. DeCamp | Jim@JamesDeCamp.com | (614) 367-6366.

Photographed on Kodacolor VR 400 and Kodacolor VR 1000 film with Canon F-1 and Canon T-90 camera bodies and Canon L series lenses.  Digitized with a Nikon Coolscan 4000 ED film scanner

William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelical Christian evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally after 1949. He has been looked upon as one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century. He held large indoor and outdoor rallies with sermons that were broadcast on radio and television, some still being re-broadcast into the 21st century.

In his six decades of television, Graham hosted annual Billy Graham Crusades, which ran from 1947 until his retirement in 2005. He also hosted the popular radio show Hour of Decision from 1950 to 1954. He repudiated racial segregation. In addition to his religious aims, he helped shape the worldview of a huge number of people who came from different backgrounds, leading them to find a relationship between the Bible and contemporary secular viewpoints. Graham preached to live audiences of nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories through various meetings, including BMS World Mission and Global Mission. He also reached hundreds of millions more through television, video, film, and webcasts.

Graham was a spiritual adviser to American presidents and provided spiritual counsel for every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. He was particularly close to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson (one of Graham’s closest friends), and Richard Nixon. He insisted on racial integration for his revivals and crusades in 1953 and invited Martin Luther King Jr. to preach jointly at a revival in New York City in 1957. Graham bailed King out of jail in the 1960s when King was arrested during demonstrations. He was also lifelong friends with another televangelist, the founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, Robert H. Schuller, whom Graham talked into starting his own television ministry.

Graham operated a variety of media and publishing outlets. According to his staff, more than 3.2 million people have responded to the invitation at Billy Graham Crusades to “accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior“. As of 2008, Graham’s estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion. Because of his crusades, Graham preached the gospel to more people in person than anyone in the history of Christianity. Graham was repeatedly on Gallup’s list of most admired men and women. He appeared on the list 60 times since 1955, more than any other individual in the world. Grant Wacker reports that by the mid-1960s, he had become the “Great Legitimator”.

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