Gunman kills five, injures at least 25 others at LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado

A 22-year-old man opened fire at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday night, killing at five people and injuring at least 25 others before patrons subdued him. 

According to early reports, the suspect entered Club Q just before midnight wearing body armor and immediately began shooting inside the nightclub.

During the incident, at least two people confronted the shooter as he was making his way through the night club. Eventually they were able to stop him from continuing the killing spree. 

Mayor John Suthers said one patron "took the handgun from the [shooter] and hit him with the handgun to disable him." Authorities have called their actions “heroic.”

The suspect was taken into custody about five minutes after police received the first 911 call reporting the shooting at 11:57 p.m. The injured were transported to nearby hospitals to be treated. As of Sunday, at least seven were in critical condition. 

The gunman was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. Aldrich was found to be involved in a reported bomb threat in Colorado Springs in June 2021, ABC News confirmed. 

Aldrich used a long rifle to carry out the shooting. However, other firearms were also found at the scene, Vasquez added. 

Police are investigating the attack to determine the motive and whether it was a hate crime against the LGBTQ community.

“Club Q is a safe haven for our LGBTQ citizens,” Vasquez said. “Every citizen has a right to feel safe and secure in our city, to go about our beautiful city without fear of being harmed or treated poorly.” 

Club Q said it a statement that it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community” and thanked “the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”