MUS-2026-0022
Archive card
MUS-2026-0022
Homicide
- Incident
- 1991
- Indexed
- Oct 2, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- See coverage below
- Location
- Venice CA
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Joe Cole, a roadie for Black Flag and the best friend of Henry Rollins, was shot to death during a botched armed robbery outside their shared home in Venice, California, in 1991, after the two returned from a Hole concert. The robbers took $50 and were never caught. The case was featured on Unsolved Mysteries, with coverage in LA Times archives, music-press retrospectives, and the Killafornia Dreaming podcast.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 1991
Joe Cole is shot to death during a botched armed robbery outside his shared Venice home after a Hole concert. The robbers take $50.
- 2026
The robbers were never caught. The case remains unsolved.
Key people
The people in the file.
Roadie for Black Flag and best friend of Henry Rollins. Shot to death in a botched armed robbery outside their Venice home in 1991.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
No single investigating agency is named in the public reporting we indexed. Start with the coverage links below; if you know something, contact law enforcement in the jurisdiction where it happened.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
Continue