Craig Robinson Evacuated From North Carolina Comedy Club Where a Gunman Opened Fire

Abbey White
·2 min read
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Comedian Craig Robinson says he’s safe after evacuating from a North Carolina comedy club Saturday after a suspect with a firearm entered the building.

The Killing It and The Office star was scheduled to perform at the venue when a man entered the building around 9 p.m. and brandished a gun, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Those inside the venue were evacuated, after which the suspect discharged his weapon.

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Authorities say the suspect was detained and that no one was injured. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the police department for further comment.

In a message posted to Instagram on Sunday afternoon, Robinson offered his thanks to the venue and local authorities for their action. “Thank you to The Comedy Zone security and staff for getting us to safety quickly. Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support and well wishes. Thank you CMPD for swift action and for apprehending the shooter. Hopefully he gets the help he needs.”

“Thanks be to God no one was hurt,” he ended his message. “Please stay safe everyone.”

In a statement to THR, The Comedy Zone also thanked its staff, who “immediately jumped into action and got everyone safely out of the building,” as well the CMPD for “their swift response and peaceful resolution to the situation.” The venue also confirmed that it was canceling both of Robinson’s planned shows for Sunday night, and refunding those with tickets to Saturday night’s 9:45 p.m. set.

“The Comedy Zone is going to take a short breather, therefore tonight’s show has been canceled,” the statement said. “We look forward to laughing with you later this week.”

In the video he shared to Instagram Saturday night and taken from the audience of a Big Time Rush concert happening at a nearby venue, Robinson confirmed that he was “safe.”

“It was an active shooter in the comedy club, so they moved us over to this as a concert [was] going and it’s Big Time Rush,” he explained. “We had to run over here.”

“It’s cool. We cool. It was just wild. I was in a green room and they [were] like, ‘Everybody get out,'” he said later in the video. “It was a moment for sure.”

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