Club Q shooting suspect reportedly visited the gay club more than 6 times before mass shooting in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A person accused of opening fire in a Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ nightclub, killing five and injuring more than a dozen others, reportedly went to the club six times prior to the shooting, including once hours beforehand. The deadly attack was carried out Nov. 19, 2022.

Anderson Lee Aldrich appeared in person, in custody, wearing orange jail clothes in El Paso County court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. They face more than 300 charges, including bias-motived crimes, after allegedly opening fire at Club Q. Lawyers representing Aldrich say the suspect is non-binary.

Colorado Springs Police detective Rebecca Joines testified that Aldrich entered Club Q six times prior to the shooting.

Showing one of those instances, a surveillance photo was brought to court of Aldrich at the bar with a drink on Oct. 29, 2022. The bar receipt from that date is being used as evidence, with Aldrich’s name on it. It showed the name Derrick Rump as the bartender. Rump is one of the five victims killed in the shooting.

Joines testified that Aldrich planned to livestream the shooting using an app found on his phone. Investigators found the phone taped to the bill of a hat in the suspect’s car at the scene.

An AR-15-style rifle and a 9mm handgun used in the shooting were both found to be home-manufactured, containing parts without serial numbers, according to Joines. She said, the slide part of the handgun was traced back to a seller in Florida and bought under Aldrich’s mother’s name. They also found a flash-bang grenade with the suspect at the scene which had not been used.

The suspect reportedly expressed an appreciation for white supremacy, and had used derogatory terms referring to the LGBTQIA+ community to their social media friends, Joines said. She said Aldrich had their own webpage, where they shared “mass shooting training videos” and similar content.

The suspect reportedly told their social media friends that their mother made him go to “gay clubs,” and that she identified as non-binary, according to Joines’ testimony.

A sketch of Club Q was found inside the suspect’s apartment during a search warrant after the shooting, according to a detective’s testimony.

Aldrich’s public defenders pointed to various medications in his name for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and mood regulation, indicating they may be trying for a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The courtroom is packed full of survivors with friends and family, along with reporters. A second courtroom was opened with the hearing live streaming to accommodate the crowd.

Matthew Haynes, the Club Q owner, and Richard Fierro, the man hailed a hero for taking down Aldrich before police arrived, are also in the courtroom.

The five victims who died have been identified through family, friends and police as:

HELPFUL LINKS:

-CLICK HERE to donate to a verified fundraiser page to help all the victims impacted.

-CLICK HERE to view a vigil held in honor of the victims.

-CLICK HERE for the GoFundMe “Central Hub” for donation information.

-Anyone dealing with a mental health emergency can call 9-8-8.

-CLICK HERE for other resources to help those impacted by the shooting.

Copyright 2023 KKTV. All rights reserved.