Five people were killed and 18 injured. A 22-year-old was arrested. The motive was still unclear on Sunday.
“Heroic” clubgoers stopped an attacker who was firing at the guests at an LGBTQ nightclub in the US city of Colorado Springs on Sunday night. Five people were killed and 18 injured. A 22-year-old was arrested. The motive was still unclear on Sunday. The club spoke of a “hate attack” on Facebook.
According to the authorities, it is being determined whether it was a targeted hate crime. Police identified the suspect as Anderson Lee Aldrich. He is being treated in hospital after the attack at Club Q, a news conference said on Sunday. The first 911 call about the shooting at Club Q in the city of Colorado Springs was received just before midnight Saturday, police said. The attacker was arrested a few minutes later. The police have not yet given any details about the crime. The police were initially unable to say how many people were in the club at the time of the crime. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.
In a Facebook statement, the club said it was “shocked by the senseless attack on our community.” “We are grateful for the quick responses from heroic guests who overpowered the gunman and ended this hate attack.” On its Facebook page, Club Q hosts drag shows, events on transgender issues, and karaoke, among other things.
The attack happened on the night of Transgender Day, a day to commemorate victims of transphobia. According to the local broadcaster KRDO, a transgender party was scheduled for the night in the attacked Club Q, the broadcaster reported.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is married to a man, praised the “brave individuals who stopped the shooter” in a statement posted to Twitter, calling the shooting “appalling, abhorrent and devastating.”
Numerous police cars with blue lights flashing around the club could be seen on TV pictures. KRDO spoke of one of the largest operations in Colorado Springs history. Also the federal police FBI investigate the crime scene.
In 2016, a gunman killed 49 people at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before being shot dead by police himself.
(APA/dpa)