The Comedy Zone
A man allegedly crashed a comedy club, insisted that everyone leave, and he later opened fire. It so happened that comedian Craig Robinson was going to perform there that night.
Officers in Charlotte, North Carolina, identified the suspect as Omar James McCombs, 36, according to WSOC. Employees at the Comedy Zone in the AvidXchange Music Factory told the outlet a man stepped inside while waiving around a gun Saturday night. He insisted everyone leave, they said.
There were about 50 customers were inside and dozens outside, the outlet said. Cops said that McCombs allegedly opened fire after the evacuation.
Cops did not announce any injuries.
“I heard there were people running out, even some of our coworkers couldn’t get in,” Serenity Sanders told the outlet. “They were confused. A lot of chaos. I’m glad it wasn’t bad, people could still come out to the factory and enjoy their time out.”
This is video of the scene. Lots of police cars are still here and dozens of customers are outside waiting to see if the show will continue. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/ENmTg8cLCM
— Tina Terry (@TinaTerryWSOC9) July 17, 2022
Robinson said in a video posted Saturday that there was an “active shooter.” They had to run to a concert, he said. A woman-off-screen sad, “They got him.”
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“Thank you to the Comedy Zone security and staff for getting us to safety quickly,” Robinson said in a new statement to Instagram. “Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support and well wishes. Thank you CMPD for swift action in apprehending the shooter. Hopefully he gets the help he needs. Thanks be to God no one was hurt. Please stay safe everyone.”
The Comedy Zone canceled Saturday’s show and also Sunday night’s. From their Facebook page:
In lieu of the events last night we would like to thank all the amazing people that work day in and day out to make the Comedy Zone what it is. They immediately jumped into action and got everyone safely out of the building.
We would also like to thank the CMPD for their swift response and peaceful resolution to the situation.
The Comedy Zone is going to take a short breather, therefore tonight’s show has been canceled. Anyone who purchased tickets for tonight’s show or the 9:45pm show on Saturday night will have their tickets refunded. We look forwarded to laughing with you later this week.
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