Colorado Springs shooting – live: Suspect Anderson Aldrich’s father says ‘we don’t do gay’, triggering outrage

Police have released the booking photos of Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is accused of killing five people and injuring several others at an LGBT+ nightclub in Colorado Springs over the weekend.

The photos show Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary, with multiple visible wounds to her face and neck.

According to clubgoers, several patrons at Club Q confronted the 22-year-old and managed to fight off the AR-style rifle they were carrying.

Marjorie Taylor Greene returned to courting controversy this week after she chose her response to the mass shooting at an LGBT club in Colorado as a way to attack Joe Biden on unrelated issues.

Ms Greene’s two-tweet thread responding to the attack that left five dead and more than a dozen injured surprised few; The tweets did not address the significance of the target or the wave of hatred that right-wing political figures have directed at LGBT and transgender Americans in particular over the past few years.

“Sadly, 300 Americans die from fentanyl poisoning every day in America and Biden says nothing and does nothing. Sadly, 5 people were killed in a shooting in Colorado and Biden immediately called for a ban on assault weapons. -attack,” he wrote.

He added: “The solutions are these: 1. Secure the border and stop the drugs. 2. Defend our right to keep and bear arms so that people can defend themselves from murderers who care less about laws.

John Bowden there is a story.

Deanne VanScyoc said she fell to the floor behind a pool table at Club Q and called 911 as the first shots rang out just before midnight, hitting people at the bar who were drinking and chatting.

Ms VanScyoc was facing the entrance from behind a glass wall when the shooter entered, she said.

The shooter turned right and fired one shot into the bar, then three more in quick succession, then a flurry of shots. “There is no doubt,” Ms VanScyoc told The Associated Press in an interview.

Hundreds of people, many holding candles and wiping away tears, gathered Monday night at a Colorado Springs park to honor those killed and wounded when a gunman opened fire at a decades-old nightlife venue is a sanctuary for the local LGBTQ community.

The vigil came as the 22-year-old suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, remained hospitalized after Saturday night’s attack in which five people died and 17 others suffered gunshot wounds before the patron confronted and beat the suspect to surrender. Aldrich faces five counts of murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily harm, online court records show.

More details in our full report.

Suspected gunman Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, allegedly opened fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs just before midnight on Saturday night.

Bartenders Daniel Aston and Derrick Rump as well as patron Kelly Loving were among the five victims killed in the attack. Another 25 people were injured, including 19 who suffered gunshot wounds.

The mass shooting ended thanks to the bravery of at least one clubgoer, who tackled the gunman to the ground and held them until law enforcement arrived at the scene.

Rachel Sharp there is a story.

Ed Sanders had just opened a tab at the Club Q bar when the shooting started.

The 63-year-old said he was waiting in line at the bar, and went to the front and handed the bartender his credit card when he was hit in the back — right between the shoulder blades. Startled and shocked, he turned to the gunman, but was hit in the thigh again when another round was fired.

“I fell. And everybody fell,” Sanders said in video statements released Tuesday by UCHEalth Memorial Hospital Center. “It was very traumatic. I was protecting another woman with my coat … there was a lot of commotion.”

Amy Forliti there is a whole story.

Eventually, crisis negotiators were able to bring Aldrich in, and they were booked into the El Paso County Jail on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.

The photos show Aldrich, who identifies as nonbinary, with multiple visible wounds to her face and neck.

According to clubgoers, there are many patrons at Club Q confronted the 22-year-old and were able to fight with the AR-style rifle they were carrying.

More details in our full story.

The alleged gunman facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is not binary, the suspect’s defense team said in court appearances.

In several standard motions filed on behalf of Anderson Lee Aldrich on Tuesday, public defenders refer to the suspect as “Mx. Aldrich,” noting in footnotes that Aldrich, 22, is non-binary and uses pronouns. The motions deal with issues such as the unsealing of documents and evidence gathering, not Aldrich’s identity and no elaboration on this.

Aldrich, who was beaten into submission by patrons in Saturday night’s shooting at Club Q, appeared in court for the first time Wednesday via video from jail. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation, but authorities say Aldrich faces possible murder and hate crime charges.

Get all the details in our full story.

Aaron Brink, father of Colorado Springs mass shooting suspect Anderson Aldrich, is openly anti-gay, but has apologized for his son’s alleged crimes.

“I’m so sorry guys for your loss,” said Mr Brink. “With no regard to politics, human life. Forgive me. My soul goes out to you.”

“Life is so fragile, and it’s precious,” he said. “Those people’s lives matter.”

Bevan Hurley there was more to what Aldrich’s father said.