The iconic Masquerade venue in Atlanta, Georgia was the site of a fatal shooting Sunday night. Local police have confirmed that two people died and two others were injured before headliner Cousin Stizz took the stage, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported.
Atlanta police first responded to reports of one person being shot at the venue, now located inside the Underground Atlanta entertainment district after moving from its original location on North Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward. The ongoing investigation suggests that the two victims had climbed onto the venue's stage between sets. At this point, police said, another concertgoer "was not happy about that" and an argument ensued. This concertgoer then brandished a pistol and shot the two people onstage before shooting "toward the ground," at which point the two injuries are believed to have occurred.
"Two other females came behind them like, 'Oh my God, they're dead!' and it was crazy," one witness toldWSB-TV. "I had to get out of there." Venue security officials witnessed the suspected shooter. However, the suspect was reportedly not detained. One victim was pronounced dead on the scene of a gunshot wound to the chest. The second victim was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital of upper and lower torso wounds.
Stizz addressed the act of "senseless violence" in an Instagram note. "I've always called my shows family reunions because they're never anything but fun, safe, good vibes, and positivity," he wrote. "I'm in shock and at a loss of words for the senseless violence. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families."
Stizz's reps did not immediately respond to Complex's request for additional comment.
During its decades-strong history across two locations, the Masquerade—famous for its afterlife-themed levels Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell—has been the location of some of Atlanta's most memorable shows. Fugazi, Public Enemy, Green Day, Nirvana, Childish Gambino, Future, Paramore, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Blink-182, and many others have graced one or more of the Masquerade's stages in the past.
