On December 8, 2004, Erin Alexander Halk, 29, a former U.S. Marine from Columbus, Ohio, was killed during the mass shooting at the Alrosa Villa nightclub. Halk worked security and was helping with stage setup for the band Damageplan that night. The gunman, 25-year-old Nathan Gale, entered the venue by scaling a six-foot fence and getting in through a patio door. During the band’s opening song Gale rushed the stage and fatally shot guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott; he then continued firing, killing three others including Halk.

Halk was struck six times—four shots to the chest, one to the hand and one to the leg—after attempting to intervene. The other victims named in reports were Jeffrey Mayhem Thompson, Damageplan’s head of security, and Nathan Bray, a concertgoer. Columbus Police Officer James Niggemeyer confronted and fatally shot Gale, who had fired 15 rounds and was found with additional ammunition. Investigators reported Gale had a history of mental health issues, including a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, though his exact motive remained inconclusive. Did anyone who knew Erin Halk want to share memories or details about his life and service?