At least five people were killed and another 25 were injured in a shooting late Saturday at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
The suspect in the shooting at Club Q was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, according to Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez. Aldrich used a long rifle in the shooting while another two firearms were found at the scene.
He entered the club just before midnight on Saturday night and immediately started firing. Two people inside the club restrained him before he could cause more harm.
Police emphasised Club Q’s connection to the LGBTQ community and stated they were looking into whether the attack was a case of hate crime.
Joe Biden issued a statement on Sunday in which he said “we must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against” the LGBTQ community.
“While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that the [LGBTQ] community has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years,” Biden said. “Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on [LGBTQ] communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing.”
According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 600 cases of mass shootings in the USA in 2022 alone.
