Colorado Springs gunman charged with murder and hate crimes

Nightclub mass shooting left five dead and 22 wounded

Mourners stand outside Colorado Springs City Hall. Getty Images / AFP

A gunman opened fire in a Colorado Springs nightclub on November 19, killing five and injuring 25. Getty Images / AFP

Hundreds rallied outside the courthouse to recognise the victims and comfort each other. Getty Images / AFP

Club Q co-owner Nic Grzecka is embraced by mourners outside Colorado Springs City Hall. Getty Images / AFP

Supporters of Club Q embrace outside city hall. AP

The crowd listens to speakers outside city hall. AP

There were many tears for the victims from friends, families and a lot of supportive strangers. AP

Nic Grezcka, co-owner of Club Q, hugs a patron outside city hall. AP

The alleged gunman faces possible hate crime charges. AP

Investigators continue to collect evidence after a mass shooting at Club Q. AP

The gunman was released from hospital on Tuesday. AP

Photographs of the victims of the mass shooting make up part of a makeshift memorial near the club. AP

Preliminary charges against the gunman include five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime – elsewhere called a hate crime – causing bodily injury, per El Paso County Court’s online docket. AP

A mass shooting is defined as an incident with at least four killed or injured, not including the gunman. AP

Richard Fierro consoles his daughter, Kassandra, whose boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, was among those killed. Mr Fierro, a US Army veteran, is credited with subduing the gunman. Getty Images / AFP

Mr Fierro consoles his daughter, Kassandra, as she mourns her boyfriend at the memorial outside of Club Q. Getty Images / AFP

Artist Paes164 paints a mural at his art gallery and lounge in Colorado Springs. Reuters

Latisha Hardy and daughter Yvonne Shepherd write notes in chalk on the sidewalk at the memorial. Reuters

Shooting survivor Ed Sanders says he is resilient and won't be 'taken out by some sick person'. AP

James Slaugh suffered a bullet wound to his shoulder during the mass shooting. AP

Dallas Dutka says a prayer for her cousin Daniel Aston who was killed in the shooting. AP

The US has recorded more than 600 mass shootings so far this year, the Gun Violence Archive reported. Getty Images / AFP

Raymond Green Vance was celebrating a birthday at the club when he was killed. AP

Victim Kelly Loving was described by her sister as loving, caring and sweet. AP

Victim Ashley Paugh had a young daughter and worked with a non-profit that helped foster children. EPA

Derrick Rump was a bartender at Club Q. EPA

Daniel Aston, the bar's supervisor, moved to Colorado Springs two years ago to be closer to his mother and father. EPA

Mr Fierro said that he does not consider himself a hero and was merely thinking of saving his family when he tackled the gunman. AP

A person has been charged with murder and hate crimes for a mass shooting in which five people were killed at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The shooting at Club Q also left 22 people injured.

Officials said Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, entered the nightclub before midnight on November 19 and began shooting.

Mx Aldrich appeared for the hearing in El Paso District Court where the charges were read. They have been held without bond since the shooting.

Officials have not publicly identified a motive behind the shooting.

The attack ended when Richard Fierro, a war veteran who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, tackled Mx Aldrich before police arrived to detain them.

The victims were Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28; Derrick Rump, 38; Ashley Paugh, 34; and Raymond Green Vance, 22.

District Attorney Michael Allen has said murder charges would carry the harshest penalty — a possible life sentence. Bias-motivated hate crimes would not bring a harsher punishment, he said.

But he added it was important to pursue bias-motivated crimes if evidence supported the charges because it sends the message that “we support communities that have been maligned, harassed, intimidated and abused”.

Mx Aldrich was able to evade Colorado's red flag laws, which prohibit people from purchasing firearms if they pose a risk to themselves or others.

The gunman was previously arrested in June 2021 after their mother reported they had threatened to cause her harm with a home-made bomb and several weapons, a press release from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said at the time.

Agencies contributed to this report