Colorado Springs shooting – updates: Bloody Anderson Aldrich mugshot released as father’s remarks spark outrage

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.

Eventually, crisis negotiators were able to bring Aldrich in, and they were booked into El Paso County Jail on on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.

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.

More details in our full story.

The alleged gunman facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is nonbinary, the suspect’s defense team says in court filings.

In several standard motions filed on behalf of Anderson Lee Aldrich on Tuesday, public defenders refer to the suspect as “Mx. Aldrich,” noting in footnotes that Aldrich, 22, is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. The motions deal with issues like unsealing documents and evidence gathering, not Aldrich’s identity and there was no elaboration about it.

Aldrich, who was beaten into submission by patrons during Saturday night’s shooting at Club Q, appeared in court for the first time Wednesday by video from jail. The motive in the shooting was still under investigation, but authorities said Aldrich faces possible murder and hate crime charges.

Get all the details in our full story.

Aaron Brink, father of Colorado Springs mass shooting suspect Anderson Aldrich, is avowedly anti-gay, but apologised nonetheless for the alleged crimes of his child.

“I’m so sorry guys for your loss,” Mr Brink said. “With no regard to politics, it’s human life. I’m so sorry. My soul goes out to you.”

“Life is so fragile, and it’s valuable,” he said. “Those people’s lives were valuable.”

Bevan Hurley has more on what Aldrich’s father said.

The Colorado Springs Police Department has released booking photos of mass shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich.

In the photos, Aldrich can be seen with apparent wounds to the face and neck, likely a result of clubgoers tackling the alleged shooter during the attack.

The weekend massacre at a gay club in Colorado over the weekend is part of a larger pattern of threats against LGBTQ+ people taking place across the country.

According to advocacy group GLAAD, there have been at least 124 protests as well as a significant number of threats against drag events in the US in 2022.