Gunman in Colorado LGBTQ+ Nightclub Shooting Charged with 305 Counts

Updated December 6, 2022

• The gunman of the Club Q mass shooting, Anderson Lee Aldrich, has been formally charged with 305 counts, including charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, and bias-motivated crimes. 
• In a hearing on November 23, a judge stated that Aldrich would be held without bond. Aldrich is next due in court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 22, 2023. 

What’s the story?

• On Saturday, Nov. 19th, five people were killed and 25 wounded in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 
• The suspect, a 22-year-old man, is in custody and facing five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to court records. 
• The five victims who lost their lives at Club Q are Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump, and Raymond Green Vance. Richard M. Fierro, a combat veteran from Iraq and Afghanistan, tackled the gunman and seized his weapon. A drag performer stomped on the gunman with her high heels as other patrons helped hold down the gunman until police arrived. 
• Colorado Springs is a conservative city long known for its anti-gay activism. Club Q, which opened in 2002, has been a safe space for LGBTQ+ members, with drag shows, karaoke, and dance parties for those 18 and older. 
• LGBTQ+ community members, allies, and activists are urging lawmakers to start actively fighting against the uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation and to start protecting the community. 

Rising hate-crimes 

• Hate crimes in major U.S. cities have risen greatly in the last few years into double digits. In 2021, data from 52 cities showed that hate crimes had increased by nearly 30% — the highest hate crimes have been in over a decade. 
• Black, Asian, Jewish, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ Americans have been the most frequent targets of hate crimes this year. 
• 2022 will be the fourth consecutive year in which hate crimes have risen nationwide. 

Recent anti-LGBTQ legislation 

• This fall, House Republicans introduced the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” dubbed the Don’t Say Gay bill, which would restrict the use of federal funds for any program, event, or media that discusses LGBTQ+ topics. 
• The bill bans language around sexual orientation, gender identity, or “related subjects” for kids under 10, saying these topics are inappropriate and “sexually oriented.” The legislation groups this subject matter with pornography and “lewd or lascivious” depictions and descriptions of human genitals. 
• LGBTQ+ groups and allies argue that this bill continues to marginalize the community, obscures gay history, and popularizes anti-gay sentiment. Normalizing homophobia in the country will fuel bullying, magnify feelings of isolation, and intensify shame, increasing the chances of suicide in LGBTQ+ youth.
• Opponents have also expressed anger in grouping pornography and LGBTQ+ topics as it is a deeply inaccurate and offensive portrayal of the community. David Stacy, Human Rights Campaign Government Affairs Director, said:

“Extremist House Republicans…are continuing their assault on LGBTQ+ Americans’ ability to live their lives openly and honestly. A federal ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bill…is their latest cruel attempt to stigmatize and marginalize the community, not in an attempt to solve actual problems but only to rile up their extremist base.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated. 

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Twitter/@MayorHancock)