Gunman Kills 5, Injures 25 at LGBTQ Night Club in Colorado Springs

A young man opened fire in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, killing five and injuring 25 others.

According to officials, police arrested the suspect, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is believed to have used a “long rifle” when he carried out the shooting at Club Q.

As reported by Reuters, the gunman burst into the night club with a rifle, a military-style flak jacket and roughly six magazines of ammunition.

During a news conference on Saturday, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said that multiple firearms were found at the venue in addition to the rifle.

President Joe Biden issued a statement condemning the violence.

“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence,” Biden said.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the first openly gay U.S. governor, called the shooting “horrific, sickening, and devastating news to wake up to.”

“My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured, and traumatized in this horrific shooting,” he said in a statement.

Club Q also issued a statement following the tragedy.

“Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prayers and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends,” a statement on its Facebook page reads.

“We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”

The Colorado Healing Fund, a nonprofit organization, has set up an online fundraiser to help the victims affected by the shooting.

The massacre has been likened to the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. A gunman shot and killed 49 people inside Pulse before police fatally shot him.

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Scott Olson/Staff

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.

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