Five people lost their lives and 18 were injured behind theshooting mass provoked this Saturday night at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado.
The alleged perpetrator of the crime was identified by the police asAnderson Lee Aldrich, 22 years old. According to Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez, the shooter began shooting immediately after entering the club.
“At least two heroes within the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to prevent the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others. “Whether this was a hate crime remains part of the investigation,” Vásquez said. “We owe them a great debt of gratitude,” he added.
After being detained by Club Q's own customers, the shooter was hospitalized with injuries caused in the incident. “We appreciate the quick reactions of the heroic customers who subdued the gunman and put an end to this hate attack,” the club posted on its website.Facebook.
The shooting victims were divided among three hospitals, Centura Penrose, UCHealth Memorial North and UCHealth Memorial Central, Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal said.
Penrose Chief Medical Officer Bill Plauth said seven people were under his care, including two in critical condition and two who had already been discharged, according toNBC News. Two other patients were being treated at UCHealth North, Royal said.
Meanwhile, ten patients remained under the care of UCHealth Central, according to its medical director, David Steinbruner. “We have several people who are being treated in our ICU,” he said, without specifying the exact number of people in critical condition.
Tributes to the victims came early Sunday as police and survivors described how the shooter had been subdued by at least two club patrons.
The governor of Colorado,Jared Polis - who in 2018 was the first openly gay elected - said that "brave individuals" intervened during the "horrible, disgusting and devastating" shooting.
“We are eternally grateful for the brave people who blocked the shooter, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded quickly to this horrific shooting,” he said in a statement issued Sunday morning.
Club Q, which describes itself as an adult-oriented gay and lesbian nightclub, called Saturday night's events a "hate attack" in a statement on its Facebook page. Authorities said they were investigating whether it fits this typology.
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