Army veteran gives account of tackling Colorado Springs gunman
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Colorado Springs shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich wanted to be the “next mass murderer” and go out “in a blaze,” according to previous arrest warrants.
More than one year before the 22-year-old allegedly killed five victims in a mass shooting at LGBT+ nightclub Club Q, Aldrich was arrested for making an alleged bomb threat. No charges were filed, and the case was sealed.
Records have surfaced showing the accused shooter’s grandmother told police they said they were “going to be the next mass murderer and were collecting ammunition, firearms, bulletproof body armor and storing it in the basement of the residence” .
Aldrich, who reportedly identifies as non-binary, now faces preliminary charges including five counts of murder along with five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily harm over Saturday night’s massacre .
Aldrich’s father has sparked outrage after he said his first reaction to learning of the mass shooting was to ask why his child was in a gay bar.
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Watch: Suspected gunman’s father speaks out to local news
The father of Colorado Springs shooting suspect Anderson Aldrich says his first reaction to the information of the attack at Club Q was to ask why his child was in an LGBTQ bar.
Aaron Brink, a former porn actor and MMA fighter, told CBS8 he got a call Sunday night from his child’s public defender saying he had been arrested for the mass shooting.
“They started telling me about the incident, a shooting that involved multiple people,” Mr. Brink said in an interview.
“And then I go on to find out it’s a gay bar. I said, ‘God, is he gay?’ I got scared, ‘S***, is he gay?’ And he’s not gay, so I said, ‘Phhhewww…'”
Watch the full interview with CBS 8 below.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 14:10
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Local breweries in Colorado Springs are holding a day-long fundraiser for shooting victims and families
More than 20 local breweries in Colorado Springs will pool resources for a day-long fundraiser, with a portion of tabs aimed at providing financial support for the victims and survivors of the Club Q mass shooting last Saturday.
The fundraiser “Brews for Q” will pass the day’s sales to charity campaigns set up after the attack that left five dead and more than a dozen injured at the popular LGBT+ nightclub.
A Facebook event for the fundraiser, set up by one of the local breweries, The Public House, describes how they are “joining many local establishments for #BrewsForQ this #SmallBusinessSaturday to raise money for the victims and their families” .
“From 12-5pm on November 26th, $1 from pints poured at both PH locations will be donated to a verified victim fund,” the event description adds.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 13:50
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The motive in the attack remains unclear as the investigation continues
The motive behind the Club Q attack that left five people dead and at least 18 injured is still being investigated by the authorities.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of committing those crimes as part of a bias attack.
Prosecutor Michael Allen said the suspect, who appeared in court Wednesday via video with visible injuries to his face and neck, was “physically competent” to stand trial.
His next hearing is scheduled for December 6.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 13:30
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Father of Colorado Springs suspected shooter said he was told Aldrich died years ago
Aaron Brink, a former porn actor and MMA fighter, told CBS8 he got a call Sunday night from his child’s public defender saying he had been arrested for the mass shooting.
During that interview with the San Diego-based news outlet, Mr. Brink, 48, said his ex-wife Laura Voepel called him in 2016 to say their child, born Nicholas Brink, had changed her name and died by suicide.
“His mother told me he changed his name because I was on (reality TV show) Intervention and I had been a porn actor,” Mr. Brink told CBS8.
He had believed that his child was dead until six months ago, when he received a call from Aldrich.
According to Mr. Brink’s report, Aldrich was “pissed” and wanted to “stab the old man”.
He went on to say that he taught his children how to fight at a young age and “praise him for violent behavior”.
“I told him it works. It’s instant and you’ll get instant results,” Mr. Brink told CBS8.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 13:10
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Who are the victims of the Club Q shooting?
Here’s what we know so far about the five people who were killed.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 12:50
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Hero veteran reveals how he tackled suspect with the help of trans woman
A former army captain tackled a gunman who had opened fire at an LGBT+ nightclub in Colorado Springs and knocked the suspect unconscious when a trans woman in heels stomped on him.
Richard Fierro, 45, said he was with family and friends at Club Q on Saturday night when the suspect burst in and began spraying the club with automatic gunfire.
Mr. Fierro told the New York Times that his military training kicked in and he ran toward the shooter, grabbed him from behind by his body armor and pulled him to the ground.
“I just knew I had to take him down,” Mr. Fierro said.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 12:30
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Gay club shooting suspect evaded Colorado’s red flag gun law
A year and a half before he was arrested in the Colorado Springs gay nightclub shooting that left five people dead, Anderson Lee Aldrich allegedly threatened his mother with a homemade bomb, forcing neighbors in surrounding homes to to evacuate while the bomb squad and crisis negotiators talk to him. in surrender.
Yet despite that scare, there is no record prosecutors ever went forward with felony and threatened charges against Aldrich, or that police or relatives tried to trigger Colorado’s “red flag” law that would have allowed authorities to seize the weapons and to confiscate ammunition, says the man’s mother. he had with him.
Gun control advocates say Aldrich’s June 2021 threat is an example of a red flag law being ignored, with potentially deadly consequences. While it’s not clear the law could have prevented Saturday night’s attack — such gun seizures can be in effect for as little as 14 days and are extended by a judge in six-month increments — they say it could have at least slowed Aldrich down and his profile with law enforcement.
Bernard Condon and Colleen Slevin have the story.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 12:10
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Records suggest suspect ‘went out in a fire’
Anderson Lee Aldrich, the suspected shooter who killed five people at an LGBT+ club in Colorado Springs over the weekend, told his family earlier that they wanted the “next mass murderer”.
In June of 2021, Aldrich, who identifies as non-binary, was arrested for threatening the grandmother, with whom they lived, with a homemade bomb, prompting a heavily armed tactical police team to respond and evacuate surrounding homes .
Eventually, crisis negotiators were able to bring Aldrich in, and they were booked into the El Paso County Jail on two felony warrants and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 11:50
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Colorado Springs shooting suspect ‘threatened mother with homemade bomb’ in June 2021
A person with the same name and age was arrested in June 2021 after her mother told officers he threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons.
Colorado prosecutors declined to explicitly confirm the connection on Sunday morning, saying only that the 2021 incident was “all part of the investigation and will be released as appropriate.”
Johanna Chisholm24 November 2022 11:30
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Anti-gay father says ‘no excuse for shooting kids’
The father of shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich said while he has anti-gay views, there is no excuse for his child to shoot people at an LGBT+ nightclub in Colorado Springs.
“I’m so sorry guys for your loss,” said Aaron Brink, 48. “Without attention to politics is human life. I’m so sorry. My soul goes out to you.”
“Life is so fragile, and it’s precious,” he said. “The lives of those people were valuable.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar24 November 2022 11:10