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Late Saturday night, an AR-15-style rifle-wielding gunman opened fire on the LGBTQ club, killing five people and injuring at least 25 others. Police apprehended the suspect, who was injured in the attack and is being treated in the hospital.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, allegedly began shooting as soon as he walked into Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. Aldrich is charged with five counts of murder as well as five counts of crimes that were motivated by bias and caused bodily harm under Colorado's hate crime statute.
“There’s still so much hatred for our community and we’re all just people trying to live our lives,” said Liss Smith, communications manager for Inside Out Youth Services to NBC News.
The arrest warrant and related supporting documents related to Aldrich's arrest have been sealed by the court. Prosecutors argued in their motion that releasing the records "could jeopardize the ongoing case investigation."
Back in June 2021, El Paso County Sheriff's Office received a tip that Aldrich was in possession of a homemade bomb, he was then detained and charged with two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping; however, no explosives were found in his home, Colorado Springs radio station KRDO reported.