Colorado Springs shooting – live: Suspect Anderson Aldrich’s father says ‘we don’t do gay’, triggering outrage

The suspected gunman facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub has been ordered to be held without bail.

In an initial court appearance yesterday the suspect sat slumped over in a chair with injuries visible on their face and head.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, who identifies as non-binary, appeared to need prompting by defence lawyers during a brief video appearance from jail.

Aldrich offered a slurred response when asked to state their name by El Paso County Court Judge Charlotte Ankeny.

The suspect was beaten into submission by patrons during the shooting at Club Q and released from hospital on Tuesday.

The motive in the shooting was still under investigation, but authorities said Aldrich faces possible murder and hate crime charges.

A loving boyfriend. A 28-year-old bartender who loved to perform. A mother visiting from a small town who enjoyed hunting. These are among the victims of the rampage at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs that left five people dead and 17 others with gunshot wounds.

Club regulars and newcomers — gay and straight, transgender and cisgender — flocked to Club Q over the weekend to dance, enjoy a comedy show or work behind the bar. What began as a typical Saturday evening of dancing and drinking at the preeminent LGBTQ establishment in the conservative-leaning Colorado city south of Denver ended in tragedy when a gunman entered and began spraying bullets before they were tackled and subdued.

More details in our full story.

Of the 17 people injured by gunshots in Saturday’s attack, 11 remained in the hospital as of yesterday night, officials said.

At least five people were killed when 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich stormed inside an LGBT+ nightclub and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle.

The suspect was taken down by an Army veteran named Richard Fierro with the help of fellow patrons.

In June 2021, Anderson Lee Aldrich walked out of the front door of a house in Colorado Springs with their hands in the air after a stand-off with police.

Authorities arrested them for felony menacing and first degree kidnapping after their mother alleged that they had threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons.

Seventeen months later, Mr Aldrich, 22, is in police custody on suspicion of killing five people at an LGBT+ nightclub called Club Q.

What’s more, media reports suggest that the weapons wielded during the attack – a semi-automatic rifle and a handgun – were purchased legally.

Police released the booking photos of Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is accused of fatally shooting five people and wounding numerous others in a Colorado Springs LGBT+ nightclub over the weekend.

The photos show Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary, with numerous apparent wounds to the face and neck.

According to clubgoers, multiple patrons at Club Q tackled the 22-year-old and managed to wrestle away the AR-style rifle they were carrying.

Marjorie Taylor Greene was back causing controversy this week after she chose her response to the mass shooting at an LGBT club in Colorado as a means for attacking Joe Biden on unrelated issues.

Ms Greene’s two-tweet thread addressing the attack that saw five killed and more than a dozen wounded surprised few; the tweets did not address the significance of the target nor the wave of hate that right-wing political figures have directed at LGBT people and transgender Americans in particular over the past few years.

“Tragically, 300 Americans die of fentanyl poisoning everyday in America and Biden says and does nothing. Tragically, 5 people were killed in a shooting in Colorado and Biden immediately demands a ban on assault weapons,” she wrote.

She added: “The solutions are this: 1. Secure the border and stop the drugs. 2. Defend our right to keep and bear arms so that people can defend themselves from killers who could care less about laws.“

John Bowden has the story.

Deanne VanScyoc said she dropped to the floor behind a pool table at Club Q and called 911 as the first shots rang out just before midnight, hitting people at the bar who had been drinking and chatting.

Ms VanScyoc was facing the entrance from behind a glass wall when the shooter came in, she said.

The shooter turned right and fired a single shot toward the bar, then three more in rapid succession, then a flurry of shots.“There was no hesitation,” Ms VanScyoc told The Associated Press in an interview.

Hundreds of people, many holding candles and wiping away tears, gathered Monday night in a Colorado Springs park to honor those killed and wounded when a gunman opened fire on a nightlife venue that for decades was a sanctuary for the local LGBTQ community.

The vigil came as the 22-year-old suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, remained hospitalized after Saturday night’s attack in which five people were killed and another 17 suffered gunshot wounds before patrons tackled and beat the suspect into submission. Aldrich faces five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, online court records showed.

More details in our full report.

Suspected gunman Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, allegedly opened fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs just before midnight on Saturday night.

Bartenders Daniel Aston and Derrick Rump as well as patron Kelly Loving were among the five victims killed in the attack. Another 25 people were injured, including 19 who suffered gunshot wounds.

The mass shooting came to an end thanks to the bravery of at least one clubgoer, who tackled the gunman to the ground and detained them until law enforcement arrived on the scene.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Ed Sanders was just opening up a tab at Club Q’s bar when the shooting started.

The 63-year-old said he had been waiting in line at the bar, and made his way up to the front and gave the bartender his credit card when he was hit in the back — right between the shoulder blades. Surprised and shocked, he turned to look at the gunman, only to be hit again in the thigh as another volley of shots were fired.

“I fell. And everybody fell,” Sanders said in video statements released Tuesday by UCHealth Memorial Hospital Center. “It was very traumatic. I shielded another woman with my coat … there was a lot of chaos.”

Amy Forliti has the full story.