A gunman opened fire inside an LGBTTTIQ nightclub in Colorado. The toll was 5 people killed and at least 18 injured.
According to the authorities, two people who were inside the premises confronted the attacker and managed to arrest him.
“The suspect entered the club and immediately started shooting at the people inside. At least two heroic people inside the club clashed and fought with the suspect and were able to stop him from continuing to kill,” Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said.
The suspect was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, and they said he used a long rifle.
The attack occurred at Colorado Springs’ Club Q, where Transgender Remembrance Day was celebrated, which every November 20 honors trans people who were subjected to violent attacks.
Americans “cannot and should not tolerate hate,” President Joe Biden said after hearing the news of the shooting.
Although the motive for the attack is still unclear, the president criticized violence against the LGBTTTIQ community, particularly against transgender women of color.
“Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never become places of terror and violence. However, it happens all too often. We must eliminate inequalities that contribute to violence against LGBTTIQ people,” he said in a White House statement.
Authorities said the suspect was being treated at a local hospital, but did not release further information about him; They said local, state and federal authorities, including the FBI, are investigating.
Colorado Attack Had Quick Response
Colorado Springs Police Department spokeswoman Pamela Castro said police received an initial call about an active shooting at the club just before midnight. A first officer arrived within four minutes and that the suspect had been subdued just two minutes later.
Club Q posted on Facebook that it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.” He added:
“We appreciate the swift reactions of the heroic customers who subdued the gunman and put an end to this hate attack.”
Authorities said the shooting had not yet been officially classified as a hate crime, but that charges of first-degree murder would likely be filed.
District Attorney Michael Allen said acts of violence aimed at instilling fear in “specific communities will not be tolerated.”
Gov. Jared Polis, who in 2018 became the first openly gay man elected as governor of the United States, called the shooting “horrific, disgusting and devastating,” adding that “Colorado stands with our LGBTTTIQ community and everyone affected by this tragedy.”
Hundreds of messages of support poured into the club’s Facebook page, some from as far away as Sweden, the UK, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.
Massive attacks
This attack is in addition to those that have occurred in recent years against the LGBTTTQ community.
On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire inside Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people and wounding more than 50.
Gun attacks are a major problem in the United States, where there have been more than 600 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
Mass shootings are constantly reigniting the debate over gun control, a hot topic in the country, although little progress has been made in Congress on calls for reform.
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