The LGBTQ+ community in Colorado are “broken” after the fatal shooting at Club Q, a LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, that left five dead and over a dozen injured.
“Club Q is the only LGBTQ space in Colorado Springs and we don’t even have that anymore. What are we going to do? How do we move on from this? We can’t. We’re shattered. We’re broken,” 34-year-old Joshua Thurman told The Denver Post reporter Shelly Bradbury on Sunday.
In a separate comment reported by local news station KOAA News 5, Thurman, who was present during the shooting, said: “As a Black kid it’s taboo to be gay, so coming here, this is one of the first places that I felt accepted to be who I am. It’s supposed to be our safe place. A community shouldn’t have to go through something like this for us to come together. This is our home. This is our space. We come here to enjoy ourselves, and this happens?”
Joshua Thurman, 34, was on the dance floor when the shooting happened. “Club Q is the only LGBTQ space in Colorado Springs,” he said. “And we don’t even have that anymore. What are we going to do? How do we move on from this? We can’t. We’re shattered. We’re broken.” pic.twitter.com/FpjeVJ8lvL
— Shelly Bradbury (@ShellyBradbury) November 20, 2022
Police said that 25 people were wounded after a gunman used a long rifle to open fire inside the club, NBC News reported. The shooter’s motive remains unclear at the moment, according to police. Authorities identified the shooter as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich.
Lieutenant Pamela Castro told reporters in a press briefing on Sunday that Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers were first notified about the shooting at 11:56 p.m. on Saturday night. The first officer was dispatched to the scene a minute later and police arrived at Club Q around midnight. The suspect was detained two minutes later.
CSPD Chief Adrian Vasquez, who described the tragedy as “senseless and evil,” later confirmed Aldrich was the suspect and that two firearms were found at the scene.
“Club Q is a safe haven for our LGBT citizens. Every citizen has the right to feel safe and secure in our beautiful city. The suspect entered Club Q and then immediately began shooting at people inside as he moved further into the club,” Vasquez said.
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He added: “While the suspect was inside of the club at least two heroic people inside the club decided to confront and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill or harm others. We owe them a great debt and thanks.”
The nightclub was hosting a “Drag Divas” show followed by a DJ segment Saturday night, according to NBC News, before Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed annually on November 20.
Authorities are still investigating the incident and are yet to determine whether or not the shooting was a hate crime targeting LGBTQ individuals and whether any other suspect was connected to the incident.
A small memorial with flowers has been set to honor the victims of the shooting, according to a picture posted by Bradbury, with a sign that read “Love over hate.” A woman with flowers, who hasn’t been named, told Bradbury that “it could have been any of us.”
Members of the LGBTQ community are adding to a growing memorial here at the shooting scene. “It could have been any of us,” one woman with flowers said. She declined to give her name. pic.twitter.com/C0iKkLPzqs
— Shelly Bradbury (@ShellyBradbury) November 20, 2022
“You try to live your best life as authentically as you can and then something like this happens,” 18-year-old Robin Levisky told The Denver Post on Sunday.
Robin Levisky, 18, said the shooting makes them afraid to gather with other LGBTQ people. “You try to live your best life as authentically as you can and then something like this happens,” they said.
— Shelly Bradbury (@ShellyBradbury) November 20, 2022
The shooting also caused an uproar among politicians and officials with Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, tweeting: “I’m devastated to hear about the shooting in Colorado Springs that cut five more lives tragically short. I’m thinking of their families and loved ones and sending strength to those who were injured, the survivors, and Colorado’s LGBTQ community.”
In a separate tweet, the senator continued: “As we seek justice for this unimaginable act, we must do more to protect the LGBTQ community and stand firm against discrimination and hate in every form.”
I’m devastated to hear about the shooting in Colorado Springs that cut five more lives tragically short. I’m thinking of their families and loved ones, and sending strength to those who were injured, the survivors, and Colorado’s LGBTQ community.
— Michael Bennet (@SenatorBennet) November 20, 2022
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden condemned the attack in a statement released Sunday afternoon.
“We know that the LGBTQI+ community has been subjected to horrific hate violence 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,” the president said.
“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often. We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate,” Biden added.
Newsweek reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment.
