According to the BBC, two security guards were shot at West Midland’s NEC Arena, near Birmingham, England at about 1p.m. Tuesday (February 28). The guards were involved in an altercation with a man who attempted to enter the concert without a ticket. After being thrown out, the man returned and opened fire. He was accompanied by a woman.
Between four and eight shots were fired. One of the guards, a 45-year-old from Solihull, is currently hospitalized after being shot in the face, stomach and foot. He is in serious condition after already being operated on once, but is scheduled for another injury-related operation. A second security guard has been released after being treated for a minor injury-possibly from being grazed.
During a news conference after the incident, West Midland’s Detective Chief Inspector Kenny Bell said, “We’ve identified numerous witnesses and I am very interested in the CCTV that we’ve seized that we’re now analyzing to try and identify who the gunman was. Over 12 thousand people were at the NEC last night, it’s only one of them who decided to go out with a loaded firearm and use it in this vicious and cowardly way.”
According to reports, a man and woman are being held in connection to the incident.
This isn’t the first time gun violence has touched a West event. Suge Knight was shot during a pre-MTV VMA party hosted by West in Miami last August. That shooting remains unsolved.
Tuesday’s concert was West’s final date for his British Tour. He’s scheduled to perform in Milan on Thursday.
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