An armed attacker opened fire at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado late Saturday night. The shooting killed five people and injured at least 18 others. Patrons at the gay nightclub were able to subdue the shooter.
Authorities started to receive "numerous" 911 calls at 11:56 p.m. on Saturday about a shooting at Club Q – a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. Police reportedly responded to the emergency calls in three minutes.
Colorado Springs Police deputy chief Adrian Vasquez said, "The suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting people inside."
He noted, "At least two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others."
The shooter was reportedly armed with two guns, including a long rifle.
The suspect was taken into custody at 12:02 a.m., according to Lt. Pamela Castro of the Colorado Springs Police Department. The shooter was taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
FBI is on the crime scene and assisting in the investigation.
\u201c#Breaking: Colorado Springs Police confirm five are dead and 18 injured in the Club Q shooting!\u201d— Brian Sherrod (@Brian Sherrod) 1668938496
During a Sunday morning press conference, authorities identified the shooter as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldridge.
Law enforcement did not comment on a possible motive for the deadly mass shooting.
However, Club Q issued a statement that labeled the shooting as a "hate attack."
"Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prays and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack," Club Q posted on its Facebook page.
Club Q is an LGBTQ nightclub that features a "Drag Diva Drag Show" on Saturdays, according to its website.
The club was set to hold an "all ages brunch musical drag brunch" on Sunday, according to the club's Facebook page.
The club promoted the event, "Doors open at 11am for our noon ALL AGES DRAG BRUNCH!!! Join us for a fantastic drink special and even more amazing drag show! Then stick around for an all stars cast of our freshest faces! We’re celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance with a variety of gender identities and performance styles! Show starts at 8pm!”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement:
The Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs was horrific, sickening, and devastating news to wake up to. My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting. I have spoken with Mayor Suthers and clarified that every state resource is available to local law enforcement in Colorado Springs. We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands with our LGTBQ Community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said, "The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful. This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly."
During the press conference, a reporter asked Vasquez if Aldrich was the same individual involved in a bomb threat in 2021. The deputy chief would not comment on the question.
In June 2021, police responded to a bomb threat in Lorson Ranch about 18 miles from Colorado Springs. The mother of the suspect called police and said her son was threatening to cause harm to her with a "homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition."
KXRM-TV reported, "Deputies responded to the home and after further investigation realized the suspect, 21-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich was in the 6300 block of Pilgrimage Road (which is approximately 1 mile away from the address on Rubicon Drive). Our deputies contacted the suspect by phone and he refused to comply with orders to surrender."
Aldrich was arrested and charged with two counts of felony meaning and three counts of first-degree kidnapping.
5 dead after mass shooting at Colorado club www.youtube.com
Sunny Hostin, co-host on "The View," said that she feels like a "hostage" to Americans who own "assault rifles" and argued that gun control is the only way to stop mass killings like the one that took place at a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store Monday.
During Tuesday's broadcast, Hostin said that people who insist on owning such weapons are not patriots and demanded extreme gun reform measures.
"I don't think we can any longer equate freedom with the unfettered right to own assault rifles," Hostin said. "That is not freedom. Because I feel like a hostage right now. I feel like a hostage to the selfish people who insist on owning these types of weapons. That is not freedom in the country."
She turned to those Americans holding her "hostage" and added, "You are not a patriot because you feel you have the right to own these types of weapons. You should be taking care of your fellow Americans."
She concluded, "It is time to start talking right now about gun control."
Democrats across the country have demanded stricter gun control legislation following the Monday massacre, which took the lives of 10 people.
Authorities arrested 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa and charged him with 10 counts of first-degree murder. Police have not yet revealed a possible motive behind the heinous mass killing.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for an assault weapons ban.
In a statement, Biden said, "I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take commonsense steps that will save lives in the future. We can ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines in this country once again. I got that done when I was a senator. It passed, it was the law for the longest time and it brought down these mass killings. We should do it again."
TEN KILLED IN COLORADO SHOOTING: After a gunman opened fire at a grocery store where residents gathered to shop and… https://t.co/h3tklP7ltO— The View (@The View)1616533201.0
Regardless of what motivated this unfathomable attack, we cannot allow the left to use the incident as a weapon against the fight to protect children.
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