A gunman opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightspot in Colorado Springs late on Saturday killing at least five people and injuring 25 others before he was stopped by club patrons.
Police identified the suspect in the shooting at Club Q as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, and said he used a “long rifle.” Two firearms were also found at the scene.
According to officials, at least two people inside the club confronted and fought the gunman preventing further violence.
The shooting was reminiscent of the 2016 Pulse club massacre, when a gunman killed 49 people at the gay nightclub of that name in Orlando, Florida.
Authorities on Sunday said they were investigating whether the attack was motivated by hate.
How the shooting unfolded
The shooter burst into the club with a rifle, a military-style flak jacket, and what appeared to be six magazines of ammunition, the New York Times reported, citing the club owners, who said they did not know the man.
One patron, Joshua Thurman, choked up as he told reporters that he was dancing in the club when he first heard gunshots.
“I thought it was the music, so I kept dancing,” he said. “Then I heard another set of shots, and then me and a customer ran to the dressing room, got on the ground and locked the doors, and called the police immediately.”
Police said the initial phone call about the shooting came in just before midnight.
The violence lasted just minutes. Officers were dispatched at 11:57 p.m., an officer arrived at midnight, and the suspect was detained at 12:02 a.m., police said.
Authorities initially said 18 people were injured but later adjusted that total to 25. Nineteen of the 25 injured had gunshot wounds, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told CNN.
Based on communication with medical personnel, Suthers said he expects the injured victims to survive and the community is “crossing our fingers” for no more fatalities.
The suspect is being treated at a hospital. Officers did not shoot at him, police said.
Horrific, sickening, and devastating
Club Q, a long-established venue in a modest strip mall, was a haven for the LGBTQ community and was, until recently, the only LGBTQ club in Colorado’s second-largest city.
The shooting came as the calendar turned to Transgender Day of Remembrance on Sunday.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, and the nation’s first openly gay governor issued a statement Sunday calling the attack “horrific, sickening, and devastating” and offered state resources to local law enforcement.
Colorado has a grim history of mass violence, including the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, a 2012 rampage inside a movie theater in a Denver suburb, and a supermarket attack that killed 10 people last year.
President Joe Biden also issued a statement saying he was praying for the victims and their families.
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 600 mass shootings in the United States so far this year.