Police say five people are dead and 25 injured after a nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs late Saturday night.
The shooting was reported just before midnight at Club Q, a gay and lesbian nightclub at 3430 North Academy Blvd., just south of North Carefree Circle.
Click or tap here for The Gazette's latest version of the main story.
Here are the latest updates:
Joshua Thurman, who was at Club Q during the shooting, speaks Sunday about what happened. “I lost friends,” he said. “I’m not OK.”
11:51 a.m.: Vigils are scheduled around Colorado Springs at Saturday's late-night mass shooting at Club Q that left five dead and 25 injured.
All Souls Unitarian Church, 730 N. Tejon St., is hosting a gathering at noon Sunday.
Temple Beit Torah, 522 E. Madison St., is hosting a Trans Day of Remembrance service at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
11:36 a.m.: "This doesn’t feel real. Like at all.
"Walking through the bar that I call my home and seeing it…… like that……
"I went from being so proud of myself for what I accomplished tonight, to…. This. I hate this so much."
"I feel so sick."
Click or tap here for more witness accounts of the Club Q shooting.
Police enter Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday morning, Nov. 20, 2022, as they continue to investigate the Saturday night shooting that left five dead and 25 injured. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
11:22 a.m.: Law enforcement officials investigating the Club Q shootings on Sunday said suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich's “interactions with law enforcement” are part of the broader investigation.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested a man with the same name and matching age in June 2021 in connection to a bomb threat that forced residents in a Lorson Ranch neighborhood in southeast Colorado Springs to evacuate from their homes for about three hours, according to an earlier report by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
11:03 a.m.: President Joe Biden sent a message of support to LGBTQ people and said the attack was part of “horrific hate violence” that has plagued the country 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,” he said in a news release from the White House.
“Gay clubs have long been a sanctuary… a place we can go to be ourselves, to be out. Within the walls of that club or they bar, and for so many who have been kicked out from their communities of faith… Club Q has been like a church.” - Pastor Alycia. @csgazette
— Nick Sullivan (@_sullivn) November 20, 2022
10:25 a.m.: At least two patrons inside the club confronted the suspect and stopped him, police said. "We know one or more patrons heroically intervened to subdue the suspect," Mayor John Suthers said at a press conference, "and we praise those individuals who did so, because their actions clearly saved lives.
10:09 a.m.: Police say five people are dead and 25 injured after the shooting at Club Q. None of the victims have been identified yet. Ten patients are being treated at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, seven at Penrose Hospital and two at Memorial North. Some of the victims drove themselves to the hospital.
10:07 a.m.: Among the information discovered in the wake of the Club Q shooting is that a man with the same name as the alleged shooter was arrested in connection to a bomb threat that forced residents in a Lorson Ranch neighborhood to evacuate from their homes on June 18, 2021.
9:35 a.m.: Although it is unknown whether the date is of any significance to the Club Q shooter, Sunday is Transgender Day of Remembrance, an international observance honoring victims of anti-transgender violence and raising awareness of the threats trans people face.
Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez addresses media at a briefing Sunday morning.
9:15 a.m.: The Club Q in Colorado Springs shooting, sadly, is far from the first mass shooting in Colorado. In fact, the shooting comes just a week before the anniversary of the Planning Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs in 2015 that left three dead.
Police say five people are dead and 25 injured after the nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, Nov. 19, 2022.
Here is a list of past mass shootings in the state.
#Massshooting press conference in #ColoradoSprings about to begin @csgazette pic.twitter.com/zBiQl6Aal3
— Debbie Kelley (@inkywoman) November 20, 2022
8 a.m.: A suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, a 22-year-old male, was taken into custody at the club, Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said at an 8 a.m. press conference. At least two firearms were recovered from the scene.
“At least two heroic people confronted and stopped the suspect,” Vasquez said, before police took Aldrich into custody.
“I can confirm that the suspect used a long rifle during the shooting,” Vasquez said.
“Detectives are currently seeking multiple search warrants,” Vasquez added. “The motive of the crime is part of the investigation, and whether this was a hate crime is part of that investigation,” Vasquez said.
