Five people were shot dead and at least 25 others injured after a 22-year-old gunman opened fire in a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs on Saturday night, police said.
Police received a phone call at about 11:57 p.m. to report a shooting at Club Q, according to Colorado Springs Police Department spokesperson Lt. Pamela Castro.
The suspect, identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, is believed to have immediately begun shooting people when he entered the nightclub.
One man who was in the club told reporters that he heard four or five muffled shots that he at first mistook for being part of the music.
“I heard another set of shots ring out and I saw the flash of the muzzle when I looked to my left and I took off running to the dressing room,” said Joshua Thurman. “Immediately, I locked the door and turned off all the lights.”
Two “heroic” patrons confronted and fought Aldrich within minutes. Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said in a statement Sunday that “one or more patrons heroically intervened to subdue the suspect, and we praise those individuals who did so because their actions saved lives.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, in a statement, called the attack “horrific, sickening, and devastating.”
“My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting,” said Polis, who is the first openly gay man elected governor in U.S. history. “Colorado stands with our LGTBQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn together.
Club Q, which is located roughly 7 miles away from downtown Colorado Springs, is a gay and lesbian nightclub that features a “Drag Diva Drag Show” on Saturdays.
“Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community,” the club posted on its Facebook page. “Our (prayers) 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.”
The tragic shooting came during Transgender Awareness Week and before Sunday’s International Transgender Day of Remembrance, when events around the world are held to memorialize those who have been taken away as a result of transphobia.
