At four minutes to midnight on the eve of Trans Remembrance Day, a young male shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, allegedly burst into the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, CO, with two guns, including a long gun, according to city’s police chief, Adrian Vasquez. He left at least five people killed and at least 18 injured. Those numbers are expected to grow.
According to Lt. Pamela Castro, PIO of the Colorado Springs Police Department, The police received an initial call about a shooting at the nightclub at 11:56 p.m. Within six minutes, officers had entered the nightclub, Club Q, and had taken a suspect into custody, she said, adding that the suspect was also injured and being treated at a hospital.
Colorado Springs police chief, Adrian Vasquez, said in this morning’s news conference that the gunman had used a long rifle. Two guns were recovered at the club. Officials are actively investigating a motive.
Those with injuries were taken to several local hospitals. Lieutenant Castro indicated some victims also drove themselves to seek treatment, making the exact number of injured uncertain. Not all of the injuries were from gunshot wounds.
During this morning’s news conference, the F.B.I. said it was involved in the investigation, and several Colorado lawmakers condemned the shooting. In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis praised the “brave individuals” at the nightclub who had “blocked the gunman.”
In a statement on its Facebook page, Club Q expressed that it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.”
Attacks on LGBTQ+ establishments are, unfortunately, nothing new to Colorado. Here is the article referencing the deadly arson of a Fort Collins tavern from 1986, referenced in the podcast that took the life of two community members.
The case is being investigated through the “lens” of a hate crime, but that has not been definitively determined. But the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, has had a previous run-in with law enforcement, including firearms and threats to his mother involving explosives. According to an article written on June 18th of 2021 on KOAA.com, when the sheriff’s department responded to a report of a bomb threat in the 9800 block of Rubicon Dr. The reporting party said her son was threatening to hurt her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition. She was not at home when she made the call and was unsure where her son was. The event was eventually resolved later that day when the negotiators were able to get Aldrich to comply with orders, and he walked out of the home's front door and was arrested.
We will follow this story and update you as more information becomes available.
Tonight I will be speaking about the dangers of violent extremism in a new documentary film premiere on MSNBC that was produced by Time Studio and Trevor Noah titled Spilt Screen, The Turning Point. It will air at 10:pm EST on MSNBC and stream on the Peacock app. Here is the official trailer:
Here is some coverage of the first three films released in the project.
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