A 22-year-old gunman opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightclub which is being investigated as a possible hate crime by the police
A 22-year-old gunman opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and wounding more than 18 others in a mass shooting being investigated as a possible hate crime, police said on Sunday.
The suspect, who was taken into custody by police after being subdued by club-goers, was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said a press conference.
“The motive of the crime is part of the investigation and whether this was a hate crime is part of that investigation,” he said.
The suspect walked into Club Q in Colorado Springs, a city of about 500,000 people, just before midnight and opened fire as he moved deeper into the building, authorities said. Two patrons fought with the gunman and helped stop him from shooting more people.
“We owe them a great debt of thanks,” Vasquez said.
At least 10 of the wounded are in local hospitals, some in critical condition. The victims’ identities have not yet been released.
At least two firearms have been recovered at the scene, Vasquez said. “I can confirm the suspect used a long rifle during the shooting,” he added.
The authorities didn’t specify the exact type of rifle or whether it was a semi-automatic weapon capable of firing multiple rounds quickly.
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The violence is the sixth mass shooting in the US this month, according to the Associated Press. Club Q, a venue described as a gay and lesbian nightclub, was getting ready for a drag brunch to celebrate Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday.
On its Facebook page, Club Q said it “is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prayers and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man elected as a US governor, called the shooting “horrific.”
Police said they are still identifying the firearms and where they were purchased.
Congress passed bipartisan gun reform legislation in June in the wake of a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 people, most of them schoolchildren, died in May at Robb Elementary School. Weeks earlier, 10 people died in a racist attack on a shopping center in Buffalo, New York.
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