Dimebag Killer's Mother Speaks
Published December 16, 2004
Mary Clark, the mother of Nathan Gale, who shot and killed Dimebag Darrell Abbott and three others before he was killed by policeman James D. Niggemeyer, spoke with Columbus TV station WCMH yesterday about her son:
- Clark said Gale lives in her memory as a beloved son.
"We were pretty close," Clark said.
Clark confirmed to NBC 4 that her son suffered from a mental illness. She said he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic last year when he was sent home from the Marine Corps on an early medical discharge.
"And I still didn't understand the whole thing, but he came home with his medications, and I don't know if he took them or not," Clark said.
Gale hardly talked with his mother about the diagnosis after that
..."I don't know if he was afraid to, or ... ashamed to, or ... didn't believe it himself," Clark said.
Clark said her son's fixation on the band Pantera peaked about eight years ago when he was in high school.
"He had it in his head that those were his lyrics," Clark said of Pantera's music. "And nobody was going to change his mind."
...Clark said that while Gale was fixated on Pantera in high school, Clark thought that problem stemmed from some drug issues, which she believed her son had since worked through.
"It seemed like he ... he put it out of his mind," Clark said. "It seemed like, OK, everything was better."
It was only with last week's shooting that Clark realized everything was not better
..."Maybe I wasn't looking for it," Clark said. "Maybe I wasn't in tune, you know? I should have been looking for signs, and I didn't."
But to Officer James Niggemeyer, who she says had no choice but to shoot and kill her son, she said thanks.
"I commend that man for saving the lives of others," Clark said.
Perhaps the greatest weight on Clark's heart and mind is what she knows about the handgun her son used in the shooting, Hollingsworth reported.
"When he came home for Christmas the year he was in the service, I was so proud of that man for cleaning up his life the way he did," Clark said. "And I bought him that gun. I'll never, never be able to live that part down."
Clark said Gale's mental health diagnosis came after the gun purchase.
...."I have such remorse for those families, and I am so sorry that they are losing their loved ones," Clark said. "Their sons, brothers, fathers."
- Dimebag Killer's Mother Speaks
- Published: December 16, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Writer: Eric Olsen
- Eric Olsen's BC Writer page
- Eric Olsen's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
thanks Matt, that's excellent to hear
Excellent report, Eric - the mother is speaking from the heart. Really, no one can predict an event like this. Better security might be the only thing that could have prevented this unfortunate incident.
Not that I think it would be right, but I am curious. From a legal standpoint is there any way that a court could find Gale's mother liable? I am sure it would have to be a bit of a leap, but I was just curious as she purchased the gun, and then came to find out about his mental health.
thanks Aaman, yes very powerful and sad stuff.
If she purchased the gun legally and gave it to him before he was diagnosed with anything, I can't imagine there could be any liability
It is possible that the family of DD could sue her in a civil case. I doubt there will be any criminal case against her for giving him the gun unless she knew he was mentally unstable before she gave it to him.
It is interesting to hear from her and we should all feel as much for her as we do for the family of the others who were killed, including DD.
I think Anselmo did a class thing. It never occurs to some people that they are not the most important person in every situation.
Anselmo respected the family's wishes even though it had to be hard not to go to a friend's funeral. He did the right thing.
As for the other portion of this story: it is so hard when tragedy strikes and there is no one truly deserving of blame. A sick kid did a terrible thing and it cannot be undone.
I believe the mother has Dime's blood on her hands. Her claim that she learned of his mental illness after the fact is rediculous. She knew he was bounced from the marines for mental illness. By her own words, he has shown delusional thinking for at least 8 years. THIS WOMAN PUT AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL INTO THE HANDS OF SOMEONE SHE KNEW TO BE MENTALLY ILL. Besides being illegal, it's straight up wrong. As a responsible gun owner, I fear this will mess things up even further for us. The DOJ application is denied if there is mental illness. He knew that, and she knew it too (the application clearly asks about mental illness, she signed it). She should be charged.
what stupid fucking nitwit gives anyone a gun for a gift,,,,,all cured? here ya go,,,,wait,,,,yall cured right? sure? k,,,here ya go then,,,promise not to kill anyone? ya sure? ok,,,go out and resist temptation my little bitty nutjob,,,love ya sweety,,byeeeeeee
Maybe somebody will give you one, if we are lucky.
I just love you dimebag loyalist. If you didn't know any better you'd think that you all knew the dude on a personal level. Who in the hell wants to die with the nickname "dime fucking bag". I'm just calling myself 5bag to be sarcastic. Dimebag$#@%?. Wonder if he liked to shoot up?
a dimebag is a bag of weed, nothing to do with shooting up.
why on earth did she give a paranoid schizophrenic a gun. the mind boggles.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/23328)
Thanks for this info Eric. I seem to be getting my news at blogcritics first these days.