Mass Shooting at a Colorado Springs Nightclub Tragically Claims Five People’s Lives and Injures Many

164

Late Saturday night stateside, a gunman opened fire in Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and injuring 17. 

The suspected gunman, identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, allegedly began shooting as soon as he walked into Club Q, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez, who spoke to ABC News. 

Aldrich, injured and in the hospital, was arrested in 2021 for a bomb threat incident and now faces five counts of murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, Colorado’s hate crime law. He will be released to authorities upon the determination of medical personnel. 

Amid the horrific event on the eve of the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, authorities credited Thomas James and Richard Fierro for saving more lives threatened by Aldrich—deeming them heroes for confronting and fighting with the gunman. 

In a statement regarding the mass shooting, President Joe Biden said, “the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years. ..Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often,” Biden said. “We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate.”

 

Previous articleFederal Court Dismisses Challenge Against National Cockfighting Law
Next articleStudent loan payments pushed back
Starting as the weather personality for the Pacific News Center in 2019, then as a reporter, Destiny Cruz is now PNC’s lead anchor, producer, writer, and TV host for two of Sorensen Media Group’s shows. Over three years at PNC, Destiny has covered issues impacting our island in areas including legislation and health, to name a few, in addition to highlighting the meaningful stories of Guam’s community in features and lifestyle. Corresponding with her professional growth, Destiny has acquired personal achievements that have contributed to her development as a dynamic woman: she is a proud graduate of the Guam Community College, earning her degree in liberal studies, a former Miss Guam (Miss World Guam 2017), and singer/songwriter.