Anderson Lee Aldrich Named as Suspect in Colorado Club Q Shooting

The suspect detained in connection with a fatal shooting at the Colorado LGBT venue Club Q has been identified by police as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich.

In a press briefing on Sunday morning, Lieutenant Pamela Castro told reporters that Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers were first alerted to reports of a shooting at the venue at 11:56 p.m. on Saturday night.

The first officer was dispatched to the incident at 11:57 p.m. and police arrived at Club Q around midnight. Police detained the suspect two minutes later.

Carter Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez, who described the tragedy as "a senseless and evil" shooting, later confirmed Aldrich was the suspect and that two firearms were found at the scene.

Vasquez said: "Club Q is a safe haven for our LGBT citizens. Every citizen has the right to feel safe and secure in our beautiful city. The suspect entered Club Q and then immediately began shooting at people inside as he moved further into the club."

He continued: "While the suspect was inside of the club at least two heroic people inside the club decided to confront and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill or harm others. We owe them a great debt and thanks."

Colorado Springs Police said that an investigation was ongoing and that information shared at the news briefing was based on preliminary findings.

Detectives are still working to secure a search warrant to uncover if anyone else was involved and to determine whether or not the shooting was a hate crime, Vasquez said.

Following the shooting, politicians and gun control activists shared their condolences and thoughts about the fatal shooting.

Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, tweeted: "I'm devastated to hear about the shooting in Colorado Springs that cut five more lives tragically short. I'm thinking of their families and loved ones and sending strength to those who were injured, the survivors, and Colorado's LGBTQ community."

In a separate tweet, he continued: "As we seek justice for this unimaginable act, we must do more to protect the LGBTQ community and stand firm against discrimination and hate in every form."

Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, shared her reaction to the shooting in a Sunday morning tweet.

"The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful. This morning the victims and their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly," the GOP lawmaker said.

Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, a gun control advocacy group, tweeted: "When I woke up - on Trans Day of Remembrance - the first thing I read was this text from my non-binary kid in Colorado who sings with a band and played at a club last night. The next thing I read was the Colorado Springs mass shooting news. We don't have to live like this."

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the United States, prior to the attack on Club Q, only one person had been fatally shot in Colorado Springs this month.

President Joe Biden released a statement sharing his condolences and condemning the attack early Sunday afternoon.

"While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years. Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing," the president said.

"Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often. We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate," Biden added.

Newsweek has contacted the CSPD and numerous elected officials in Colorado for comment.

Update 11/20/2022 at 12:45 p.m. ET: A statement from President Biden was added.