CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man is in custody after firing a gun inside the Comedy Zone near uptown on Saturday night where a star of the TV show “The Office” was set to perform.
Around 9 p.m., a suspect brandished a firearm as he entered the venue in the 900 block of NC Music Factory Boulevard, CMPD said on Twitter. Actor and comedian Craig Robinson, who has appeared on television and movies including “Hot Tub Time Machine” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” was scheduled to appear at the club Saturday night at 9:45 as part of a multi-night gig.
The show was sold out, according to the club’s website.
CMPD said 36-year-old Omar McCombs was arrested early Sunday in connection with the incident. Authorities have not said what precipitated the incident.
McCombs has been charged with five counts of assault by pointing a gun, and one count each of communicating threats, discharging a firearm within enclosure to incite fear, discharging a firearm in the city and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Mecklenburg County jail website.
Employees told Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC that the man demanded that everyone leave the building in the AvidXchange Music Factory as he was waving his gun. About 50 people were inside, the station reported, and dozens more were outside.
The club was evacuated before the suspect fired the gun, police said. No one was injured.
One person posted on Twitter that they were running behind to see Robinson’s show. “When we get to our turn the street is blocked off. Someone shot off rounds in the damn comedy club. Thank God we were running late.”
The shooting comes days after CMPD reported overall crime in Charlotte has increased 4.3% this year compared with the first half of 2021. Violent crime is up 3%, police said Thursday.
Robinson posted a five-minute Instagram live video after the incident.
In the video, he said police evacuated those at the club to a nearby Big Time Rush concert at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre.
“There was an active shooter in the comedy club, so they moved us over to this concert,” he said.
Robinson said in the video that he was safe.
“It was just wild,” Robinson said. “I was in the green room and they were like, ‘Everybody get out!’ It was wild.”
On “The Office,” Robinson played warehouse worker Daryl in the satire of life at a Scranton, Pennsylvania, paper company.
In a statement posted on Instagram Sunday afternoon, Robinson thanked CMPD and the Comedy Zone’s staff and security for keeping him and others safe.
“Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support and well wishes,” he said. “Thank you CMPD for swift action in apprehending the shooter. Hopefully he gets the help he needs. Thanks be to God no one was hurt. Please stay safe everyone.”
Robinson was scheduled to appear for the final night of his tour on Sunday night.
But in a tweet posted Sunday afternoon, the Comedy Zone said it’s “going to take a short breather” and the club canceled Sunday’s show.
“In lieu of the events last night, we would like to thank all the amazing people that work day in and day out to make the Comedy Zone what it is,” the club said. “They immediately jumped into action and got everyone safely out of the building.”
Those who purchased tickets to Sunday’s show or the 9:45 p.m. show on Saturday, which was canceled due to the shooting, will be refunded, the club said.
“We look forward to laughing with you later this week,” the club said.
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