Mass Shooter Goes On Rampage At Oregon Rap Concert; At Least Six Wounded

At least six people attending a rap concert in Eugene, Oregon have been reported to have been wounded on Friday, Jan. 14, with the shooter, believed to be a young man with a handgun, still at large.

The WOW Hall music venue, which was the location of a hip-hop concert mostly consisting of local acts, was attacked by an unidentified young man, who reportedly shot at least six people who were congregated in the back of the venue before you enter into the main hall, The Register-Guard reported.

Although no fatalities have been reported, one of those who was shot is currently in critical condition and has undergone surgery. Officers have warned about the unidentified young man, who is still at large and is believed to be dangerous to those who encounter him, according to the New York Daily News.

“I have to be responsible and let the community know that we have a suspect that we haven’t apprehended and this person is likely armed and dangerous as a result of what we saw tonight,” Police Chief Chris Skinner said.

At least three of the people who were shot were rappers that were set to perform in the venue during the concert. Though local police have painted the witnesses as uncooperative, rapper Savelle Tha Native said that many were uncomfortable with how the case was handled.

“They kind of came at us aggressively, wanted us to submit and didn't work with us at all and made it a hostile scene,” he said, regarding the police’s attitude towards the case. “How are they saying we were unmanageable? We were managing ourselves.”

As many people online and offline have blamed the violence on the fact that it was a hip-hop concert, Savelle countered by saying, “This has nothing to do with hip-hop. It has to do with the state of our country. Our reality in America is violence and war.”

The FBI has decided to assist the local police force in their hunt for the shooter, with the dedicated hotline 541-682-5162 made specifically to field tips in identifying who the shooter is.

This was not the only rap-related shooting that happened on that Friday. In Miami, rising rapper Wavy Navy Pooh, whose real name was Shandler Antoine Beaubien, was killed in a drive-by shooting near Zoo Miami, a New York Daily News article reported.

“It is with great sadness & a heavy heart that we announce the loss of one of our beloved artist[s], Wavy Navy Pooh,” his label Quality Control Music said in a statement. “Our thoughts & prayers are with the family at this time.”