The gunman who opened fire at a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub, killing at least five, was stopped by two “heroic” people at the club, police said at a news conference on Sunday.
They identified the suspect as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich and said he used a gun at the club where party-goers appeared to be celebrating Transgender Memorial Day, which pays tribute to transgender people who have been victims of violent attacks.
Eighteen people were injured in the incident just before midnight, police said, adding that an unspecified number of the wounded remained in critical condition.
The shooting was the latest in a long history of attacks on LGBTQ venues across the United States, the deadliest of which claimed 49 lives at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.
The Colorado Springs suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting at people inside, Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said at a news conference.
“At least two heroic people at the club confronted and fought the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others,” he added.
Joshua Thurman of Colorado Springs was at the club at the time.
“It was so scary,” he told reporters on Sunday. “There were dead bodies on the ground. There was broken glass, broken cups, people crying.
“It should be our safe place… Where should we go?”
Aeron Laney, 24, was at the club for the first time after just moving to Colorado Springs.
She was describing a small club where everyone seemed to know each other, the kind of place she knew would fit right in.
“Everyone just had fun and smiled and laughed,” she told the AFP news agency, tearfully looking at the flower bench that was growing in front of the club.
“I just can’t put my hand around someone who just walks in and sees people who are so happy and so comfortable in their community and just want to end this.”
Laney and her boyfriend Justin Godwin left minutes before the gunman rushed in.
“Maybe the guy was already there. Like he was in the parking lot…did he just plan it?” said Godwin, 25. “It’s just terrifying.”
US President Joe Biden released a statement condemning the attack and criticizing violence against the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender women of color.
“We must address the injustices that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate,” he said.
– Earlier bomb threat –
Authorities said the suspect was being treated at a local hospital but did not release any other information about him, noting that officials, including the FBI, are investigating.
A man of the same name was arrested on June 18, 2021, aged 21, after his mother said he threatened to harm her with a homemade bomb or “multiple guns,” according to an El Paso sheriff’s press release at the time county office.
Police spokeswoman Pamela Castro said Sunday police received an initial call at 11:56 p.m. about an active shooting at the club. She said a first officer arrived within four minutes and the suspect was subdued just two minutes later.
“Club Q is a safe haven for our LGBTQ citizens,” said Chief Vasquez. “I am so terribly sad and heartbroken.”
Club Q said on Facebook that it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community,” adding, “We thank the quick responses from heroic customers who overwhelmed the shooter and ended this hate attack.”
Authorities said Sunday the shooting had not yet been formally ruled a hate crime but that charges of first-degree murder would certainly be forthcoming.
Gov. Jared Polis, who became the first openly gay man to be elected US governor in 2018, called the shooting “terrifying, disgusting and devastating.”
Messages of support poured in by the hundreds on the club’s Facebook page, some from as far away as Sweden, the UK, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.
– ‘Events we train for’ –
Authorities could not immediately say how many people were in the popular club at the time.
Dozens of police officers and firefighters rushed to the scene of the accident.
Bartender Michael Anderson worked at the club.
“I always hoped that I would never be somewhere where that would happen,” he told CBS.
Transgender Memorial Day has been celebrated every year since 1999, when it began as a vigil honoring Rita Hester, who was killed the year before.
Transgender rights were a hot topic in the United States ahead of midterm elections earlier this month, with Republicans introducing a slew of bills to curb them.
Gun violence is a major problem in the United States, where more than 600 mass shootings have taken place so far in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
