Preparations can't prevent death after rap concert

Police in Colorado Springs were braced for trouble when Mr. Biggs Event Center on the city's northwest side hosted a rapper whose December performance in Denver was rocked by gunfire in which five people were wounded.

But the 14 officers keeping watch as the crowd left a performance by Bay Area-rapper E-40 couldn't prevent another shooting that killed a man in his 20s early Friday.

"The crowd was significantly larger than the number of officers," said Colorado Springs police spokesman Sgt. Darrin Abbink. "They reacted as quickly as they could."

The victim - whose name wasn't released - was gunned down at 12:04 a.m. while sitting in his silver sedan in a parking lot near the venue on Mark Dabling Boulevard.

Police say their presence led to a quick arrest in what is likely to be the city's seventh homicide of the year and the third since Saturday.

Terry Gaines Jr., 22, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after a vehicle chase that ended north of Pueblo.

Police say they began chasing Gaines as he sped out of the parking lot but had to call off the pursuit because of his wild driving. A Colorado State Patrol trooper stopped Gaines on Interstate 25 after he drove over spike strips that flatten tires. Gaines was the only person in the vehicle, and he was later arrested by Colorado Springs detectives.

Gaines- whose rap sheet includes previous arrests for domestic violence and misdemeanor weapons possession - was being held in the El Paso County Jail without bond.

According to Abbink, police prepared for the concert by sending nine members from the COMMIT team, a special unit of uniformed officers that combats gang and gun violence.

They were joined by two patrol officers and three additional off-duty officers who were paid to provide security by the promotions company that organized the show.

"Once they knew they had shots fired, they worked as quickly as possible to secure the safety of all the other bystanders," Abbink said.

Officers tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the victim. He was pronounced dead at Penrose Hospital. An autopsy is pending.

Mr. Biggs Event Center is a 15,000-square-foot space in the same building as Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center, a family entertainment establishment featuring a bowling alley, miniature golf, video arcade and other attractions.

The entertainment area had been closed for several hours when the shooting occurred, the owners said. The concert venue has a separate entrance and parking lot.

The concert was booked by Good Fellows Entertainment Center, run by Omar Watts, according to Steve Bigari, the owner of Mr. Biggs. Watts could not immediately be reached for comment.

The promoter's arrangements included 14 private security guards in addition to the three off-duty officers, Bigari said.

Bigari said it was the first time his company had dealt with this promoter and that no one at Mr. Biggs was aware of the violence at E-40's show in Denver.

He pledged to get "personally involved" in booking shows and said there would be no more rap concerts at Mr. Biggs.

"Any that were booked, we are canceling," he said. "I can do that. We'll never do another rap concert again."

Bigari said he will conduct a review of previous shows the venue has hosted to determine if any other types present unacceptable security risks.

"I'm devastated by the loss of this man's life," Bigari said. "Nothing like this will ever happen again in the future. Not on my watch."

E-40, whose name is Earl Stevens, has recorded 11 full-length albums since 1994 and is one of the San Francisco Bay area's foremost rappers, having collaborated with marquee performers, including Lil Jon, T-Pain and Akon.

His most recent album, "The Ball Street Journal," was released last October.

The rapper's next performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at the Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins.

Fort Collins police weren't taking special precautions for the concert, but Capt. Don Vagge said Friday the department's anti-gang unit has been alerted to the violence at previous E-40 shows.

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Call the writer at 636-0366.

Christopher Short of The Gazette contributed to this story.