Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was subdued by Club Q attendees Saturday night after he fired into the crowd with an assault rifle, is currently hospitalized awaiting formal charges, Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said.
District Attorney Michael Allen said he expects first-degree murder charges to be filed, noting that “if there is evidence of hate crime, you will be charged with this as well.”
“The fact that these victims were in a specific location that is predominantly frequented by members of the LGBTQ community is evidence that we can use,” Allen told CNN.
John Suthers, the mayor of Colorado Springs, told NBC that while the motive was still being investigated, it “certainly has the hallmarks of a hate crime.”
GLAAD, an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ community, said the Q Club shooting occurred on the eve of Transgender Remembrance Day, celebrated internationally on November 20 to honor victims of transphobic attacks, and in the midst of a increased hostility against that group in the United States.
Brianna Titone, an openly transgender Colorado state legislator, also highlighted anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. “When politicians and authorities continue to perpetuate (…) insults and misinformation about the trans and LGBTQ+ community, this is the result,” she tweeted.
The attack was the deadliest against the LGBTQ community in the United States since a 2016 mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that claimed 49 lives.
Transgender rights were a hot topic in the United States ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections, and Republicans filed a series of legislative proposals to restrict them.
– “Evil act” –
Suthers said the attacker was subdued by two people in an “incredible act of heroism.” One of them took the gun from him and, without firing it, hit the shooter and left him “incapacitated.”
“That act probably saved a lot of lives, there’s no question about that,” Suthers said.
Colorado Springs police said five people were killed and 18 injured, 17 with gunshot wounds. Another victim was without “visible injuries,” according to an official statement. Police had previously said that up to 30 people had been injured.
Vasquez, the police chief, told CNN that the suspect, who was armed with an “AR-style” rifle and a handgun, had been taken to the hospital.
The police chief condemned what he called an “evil act” and vowed to do whatever he can to make the Colorado Springs community feel safe again.
Allen noted that the suspect was capable of speech, but declined to comment on whether he had answered questions citing his constitutional right to remain silent.
According to police, the suspect entered the club and immediately began shooting. Police arrived within four minutes of receiving a call about a shooting in progress.
Bartender Michael Anderson praised the patrons who tamed the gunslinger. “There were very brave people punching and kicking him, stopping him from doing any more damage,” he said. “They saved my life.”
– “Scary” –
Joshua Thurman was also at the club.
“It was so scary,” said Thurman, who was on the dance floor when she heard the shots and managed to get to safety. “There were bodies on the floor. There was broken glass, broken glasses, people crying. This was supposed to be our safe space,” he said. “Where are we supposed to go?”
President Joe Biden condemned the attack.
“We must eliminate the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate,” she said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man elected as state governor in the United States, called the shooting “horrific, disgusting and devastating.”
Biden and Polis spoke Monday, according to the White House.
A young man with the same name as Aldrich was arrested June 18 last year after his mother said he threatened her with a pipe bomb, according to a news release from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Vasquez, the police chief, said the suspect’s mother was not cooperating with authorities at this time. Allen declined to comment on the 2021 incident.
