Joshua Thurman, a witness to the Club Q shooting, explains what he saw during the attack
Several patrons of an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs are being hailed as heroes, as details unfold about a mass shooting that happened minutes before midnight Saturday at the Club Q and left five people dead and 18 bystanders injured, according to authorities.
"At least two heroic people confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill (and) harm others," Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said during a news conference Sunday morning. "We owe them a great debt of thanks."
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told multiple media sources that one customer wrangled the gun away from the shooter and hit him with it.
A lone suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was subdued at the club, taken into custody and transported to a local hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries two minutes after officers arrived, Vasquez said. The suspect remains in the hospital and it is unknown when he will be released, authorities said.
The gunman entered the club and "immediately started shooting at people, as he moved farther inside," Vasquez said.
'I can't stop hearing the shots': Witnesses describe Colorado Springs mass shooting scene
Two Club Q bartenders are among the five victims killed, according to a co-worker and social media posts.
Daniel Davis Aston and Derrick Rump, also a co-owner of the bar, were fatally shot.
Officers found two firearms at the scene and are working to identify who the guns belong to, he said. However, Vasquez said the suspect used a long rifle during the shooting.
Authorities would not release names of victims or of the good Samaritans, calling the situation complex and complicated.
“Detectives are currently seeking multiple search warrants,” Vasquez added.
9NEWS LIVESTREAM: Colorado Springs officials, including Mayor John Suthers, CSPD Chief Adrian Vasquez, and 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael J. Allen provide an update on deadly mass shooting at Club Q during an 8 a.m. press conference on Nov. 20 at the Police Operations Center.
The shooter's motive and whether the incident will be identified as a hate crime is part of the investigation, he said.
The 30 people who died or were injured during the killing rampage were either shot or hurt while people tried to flee from inside the club, authorities said during the news conference.
History of mass shootings in Colorado
Ten patients are being treated at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, officials said; Penrose Hospital was treating seven of the victims and Memorial North two. One of the victims died at a hospital, authorities said.
Some people who had been injured took themselves to the hospital, while hospital chiefs said others have life-threatening conditions.
The nightclub at 3430 N. Academy Blvd., just south of North Carefree Circle, is not usually a violent location, Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Lt. Pamela Castro said.
"This club is not a problem," she said. "It's a safe haven for members of our community. We are shocked and saddened."
LATEST UPDATES: Colorado Springs mass shooting targets LGBTQ+ nightclub
There is no ongoing threat to the community, said 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen as he took the microphone.
“Colorado Springs is once again in mourning," Suthers said at the media briefing. "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families for bearing the weight of this horrific tragedy.
"We know one or more patrons heroically intervened to subdue the suspect," Suthers added, "and we praise those individuals who did so, because their actions clearly saved lives.
"We are a strong community that has shown resilience in the face of hate and violence in the past, and we will do so again."
An emergency call for an active shooter came in to law enforcement dispatch at 11:56 p.m., Castro said. The first officer arrived in the area at midnight, and the suspect was taken into custody at 12:02 a.m., Castro said at the 8 a.m. briefing. A total of 39 police officers responded, Vasquez said.
Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Roybal said at the morning conference that having police quickly subdue the suspect allowed for first responders to quickly "get in there are start treating the wounded."
Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Smaldino said during an earlier news conference that 34 firefighters and 11 ambulances responded to assist.
The FBI is on also scene and is assisting in the investigation, said Castro.
The attack is the sixth mass killing in the U.S. this month.
Police say 5 people are dead and 25 injured after a nightclub shooting shortly before midnight Saturday in Colorado Springs.
Club Q released a statement on its Facebook page early Sunday morning labeling the shooting as a "hate attack."
"Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community," the Facebook post read. "Our prayers and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., called the attack “an unspeakable act” and said it was “horrendous” to learn what happened.
“We have to protect LGBTQ lives from this hate,” wrote Hickenlooper, who is also the former governor of Colorado.
Gov. Jared Polis, who is gay, called the shooting "horrific, sickening, and devastating."
"My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting," he said. "We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands with our LGTBQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn together.”
Polis said he has spoken with Mayor Suthers and told him the state is making all its resources available to the city's local law enforcement.
Club Q was preparing to host a brunch event on Sunday in celebration of Transgender Day of Remembrance, according to a post on its Facebook page.
The nightclub also had plans to throw a “Friendsgiving Dinner,” according to another post on its Facebook page.
Colorado Springs has had other mass shootings.
In November 2015, three people were killed and eight wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city. Robert Lewis Dear Jr. said in court testimony he opened fire because he wanted to wage “war” on the clinic because it performed abortions.
A gunman killed six members of an extended family at a birthday party at a mobile home in Colorado Springs on May 9, 2021, before turning the gun on himself, in what was the fourth-deadliest mass shooting in state history and tied for the deadliest mass murder in the city's history.
America’s LGBTQ+ clubs and bars have been targeted in other recent attacks. In 2016, a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at Pulse, a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
This is a developing story. Stay with gazette.com for more of the latest updates.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Colorado Springs police initially reported early Sunday that five people had died and 18 were wounded, then changed it to five dead and another 25 wounded. On Monday, a joint operation between police and the city of Colorado Springs corrected the totals to five fatalities, and 17 people sustained gunshot wounds, another person injured in another manner and one victim with no visible injuries but considered a victim, according to city spokesman Max D'Onofrio. The situation was very chaotic on Sunday, D'Onofrio said, which led to the change in numbers. The suspect also was wounded and remains in police custody in a local hospital. He brings the total to 25 people impacted.
