Hundreds of people gathered Monday to remember the five people killed and the seventeen injured in the attack on a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, which had served as a safe haven for the local LGBTQ community for decades. The suspect in the shooting was being held on murder and hate crime charges.
Online court documents stated that 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, the suspect in Saturday night’s attack at Club Q, was charged with five counts of murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. Two clubgoers, including one named Richard Fierro, are credited by authorities with stopping the attack.
Fierro told reporters Monday night that he had taken a revolver from Aldrich, beat him with it, and held him down. U.S. Army veteran and brewery owner Fierro said he and his family were enjoying a birthday when the assailant “came in shooting.
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” When the gunfire stopped, Fierro says he raced up to the culprit, who was covered in armor plates, and beat him hard until the police arrived.
I attempted to save them all, but only five made it,” he claimed. All of these people are wonderful. You won’t find any heroic qualities in me. Look, I’m just a regular guy. While taking cover, Fierro’s daughter injured her knee and lost her long-term boyfriend, 22-year-old Raymond Green Vance. While trying to stop the shooter, Fierro hurt his hands, knees, and ankle.
The suspect was still hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, but he is scheduled to make his initial court appearance within the next several days. Prosecutors had not yet formally charged Aldrich in court, so the allegations against him were only preliminary.
Proof of bias, such as against the victims’ real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, would be necessary for the hate crime allegations to stick.
During a press conference on Monday, local and federal authorities cited the current investigation as an excuse for not answering questions about why hate crime charges are being examined.
In a statement, DA Michael Allen said that the maximum sentence for murder charges is life in prison, whereas bias crimes are eligible for probation. To the contrary, “it is critical to let the community know that we do not tolerate prejudice-motivated crimes in our town, that we support communities that have been maligned, harassed, intimidated, and abused,” Allen added.
And that’s one way we can demonstrate our commitment by literally putting our money where our mouth is and trying it out in that fashion. As the inquiry progresses, he said, other charges may be brought.
At least two hundred people braved the cold to attend a community vigil for the shooting victims held in a public park on Monday night. Candles were lit, people were embraced, and those speaking from a stage conveyed their anger and sorrow over the shootings.
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Jeremiah Harris, a 24-year-old gay man, said he frequented Club Q and identified one of the victims as a bartender he had frequently seen. After the attack on a place that has served as a haven for the city’s LGBTQ community for over 20 years, he found it inspiring to listen to the other speakers at the vigil.
The existence of the gay community “goes back as far as there have been people,” Harris added. We’re not going anywhere if you and everyone else are against it. The volume of our voices is increasing, and you’ll just have to learn to live with it.
Ashley Paugh, 35, a mother who found homes for foster children, Daniel Aston, 28, who had worked at the club as a bartender and entertainer, Kelly Loving, 40, whose sister described her as “caring and sweet,” and Derrick Rump, 38, another club bartender who was known for his quick wit and adopting his friends as family, were the other victims identified by authorities and family members.
According to a statement released by Vance’s family, the Colorado Springs native was deeply loved and was working at FedEx in order to save up for his first apartment. Thomas James, the second patron who helped to stop the shooter, has been recognized by officials.
Fierro claimed that a third person assisted, a club performer who kicked the suspect in the head as she fled. At the request of the prosecution, the records detailing Aldrich’s arrest have been kept secret.
As of this writing, it was unclear whether or not Aldrich was represented by counsel.
An official with the law enforcement agency indicated that the suspect used a semi-automatic rifle in the AR-15 model. Additionally, a firearm and extra magazines of ammo were found. The official talked to the AP on the condition of anonymity because he or she was not authorized to discuss the specifics of the inquiry.
On Monday, authorities reported 13 people were still in hospitals. After receiving medical care, five people were freed. On Monday, authorities corrected an earlier number, saying that 25 were injured in the incident when in fact only 18. One of them wasn’t shot and was injured in some other way.
A second victim, they added, showed no outward signs of injury. Seventy miles (110 kilometers) to Denver’s south is Colorado Springs, a city of around 480,000. There is “reason to hope” that all of the hospitalized victims will make full recoveries, according to Mayor John Suthers.
Aldrich was arrested in 2021 after his mother said he had threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons, but the attack rapidly sparked questions about why officials did not seek to take his weaponry away.
Although authorities stated no explosives were discovered, many who urge for stricter gun control have questioned why police did not employ “red flag” regulations in Colorado to seize the firearms his mother claims he had.
There is no evidence that criminal accusations of kidnapping or threatening were ever pursued against Aldrich. Uvalde, Texas’s school massacre a year ago shocked the nation, and this is the sixth mass homicide this month.
Further, it brought up painful memories of the 2016 shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, which claimed the lives of 49 people. Because “thoughts and prayers are just not enough,”
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Vice President Joe Biden had a phone conversation with Colorado Governor Jared Polis and would continue to lobby Congress for an assault weapons ban.
On Monday, a steady stream of mourners brought flowers and wrote messages of support for the LGBTQ community at a temporary monument that had emerged in the hours following the attack. The crime scene was still sealed off.
Mary Nikkel, a local of Colorado Springs, remarked at the site, “It’s a reminder that love and acceptance still have a long way to go.” According to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today, there have been 523 mass shootings in the United States since 2006, resulting in 2,727 deaths as of November 19.
