Leadership within the City of Aurora reacted with heartbreak following this weekend’s mass shooting at a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs and pointed community members to mental health resources as they process the tragedy.
Five people died and 18 more were injured after a gunman entered Club Q in Colorado Springs shortly before midnight on Saturday and opened fire. The attack came on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day dedicated to remembering transgender people who died as a result of violence.
Survivors and witnesses said they are mourning not only the lives lost, but reeling from an attack on a longstanding safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community.
Aurora Public Schools Superintendent Rico Munn wrote a letter to the community, shared on the district website in the shooting’s aftermath. Amid the holiday season, “it is difficult to process that our state is now dealing with another horrific mass shooting,” Munn wrote.
The district has counseling and mental health resources available to students and staff, Munn said, urging anyone in the district who is struggling to connect with a mental health professional at their school. District employees have free, 24-hour access to counseling, Munn said, and can call 1-888-324-2631 or visit hr.aurorak12.org/eap.
“This loss is heartbreaking and we know that many of you and your student(s) may be struggling with news of this attack,” Munn wrote. “The police investigation is just starting so we do not yet know the motive, but we know this is a community often attacked because of hate and that this event, regardless of motive, will cause pain and hurt.”
Prosecutors Monday announced the shooting suspect would be charged with a hate crime. He faces five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated crimes causing bodily injury, a class-5 felony. The charges could change before his first appearance in Colorado’s 4th Judicial District Court. The suspect is hospitalized, and his court dates had not been set as of Monday afternoon.
The Community College of Aurora issued a release calling the attack “yet another senseless killing driven by hate.”
“This morning, our institution mourns for the lives taken and the individuals impacted by last night’s horrific shooting; hatred has no place in our communities and certainly not at the Community College of Aurora. Our diversity and commitment to inclusion and belonging is what makes us stronger,” President Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee said in the Sunday news release.
The college's mental health resources include in-person and virtual therapy sessions for currently enrolled students through CCA Mental Health & Counseling Services, which can also assist with referrals to resources in the broader community if needed. More information is available at ccaurora.edu/students/support-services/counseling-services.
The school also lists the Transgender Suicide Hotline at 877-565-8860 and the Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQIA+ Youth at 1-866-488-7386 among the resources available to the school community.
City leadership has been speaking up about the tragedy as well.
Councilmember Alison Coombs on Twitter thanked Inside Out Youth Services for “providing a safe supportive environment to mourn” as the organization shared details of a vigil planned on Sunday at the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church.
“The shooting at Club Q is a symptom of the hate that we as LGBTQ people still face. I’m heartbroken,” Coombs wrote.
Inside Out Youth Services in a nonprofit working to support LGBTQIA2+ youth and is based in Colorado Springs. The nonprofit also provides mental health services to people who participate in its programs and their families. More information is available at insideoutys.org.
Councilmember Juan Marcano called the shooting a “stochastic terrorist attack” and asked people to support the victims through a Colorado Gives fund set up after the shooting.
“Words have consequences, and the lies and #HateSpeech focused towards the LGBTQ+ community and amplified by unscrupulous politicians and hatemongers on the radio and Internet can’t be tolerated,” he said on Twitter.
Councilmember Curtis Gardner said "our society shouldn't tolerate a hate-driven attack on the LGBTQ community. We should be better; too many in power encourage attacks like this by treating others with hate rather than love. No one should be targeted for who they love, the color of their skin or any other reason."
Councilmember Dustin Zvonek Tweeted that he was “sending thoughts and prayers to all who have been impacted.”
“Heartbreaking news of more senseless violence,” he wrote.
Mayor Mike Coffman said on Twitter that the city council approved sending a letter of support to Colorado Springs and that Aurora Police Department Chief Dan Oates contacted local law enforcement to offer assistance from the department.
The Aurora Police Department on social media asked the community “to be vigilant & report suspicious or bias-motivated activity immediately.” The department “won’t tolerate crimes that are perpetrated against someone” because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, the department wrote.
The department’s incoming interim chief Art Acevedo called the news heartbreaking on Twitter and said “we must commit to combating gun violence and hate in every form in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner.”
“The LGBTQIA+ community is all of our community and it includes family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and every segment of society. Please know that we stand with you today, tomorrow and always,” Acevedo wrote.
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.
