Colorado Springs suspect is charged with 305 counts in Club Q shooting that killed five

The suspect accused of entering a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs and opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle, killing five people and injuring dozens of others, was formally charged on Tuesday with murder, hate crimes and assault. 

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, wore a neon yellow jail uniform and appeared alert for the hearing in El Paso District Court as the charges were read. In the suspect’s previous appearance, they were slumped over and had to be prompted by attorneys to respond to the judge’s questions.

Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, according to defense court filings, has been held without bond since the November 19 rampage at Club Q in Colorado Springs that left five people dead and dozens injured. 

The 305 charges include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and bias-motivated crimes. If convicted of first-degree murder, Aldrich faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. 

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, sat upright in a chair during the hearing and appeared alert, as he was read charges against him in the Colorado shootings, including murder and hate crimes

The 305 charges against him include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and bias-motivated crimes

Aldrich, pictured in a sketch on November 23, is accused of killing five people in a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub shooting

Investigators said Aldrich entered Club Q, a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in the mostly conservative city of Colorado Springs, just before midnight on Nov. 19 and began shooting during a drag queen’s birthday celebration. 

Those killed were identified as Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28; Derrick Rump, 38; Ashley Paugh, 34; and Raymond Green Vance, 22.

The massacre stopped after patrons wrestled the suspect to the ground, beating Aldrich into submission, they said. 

The two men with military backgrounds subdued Aldrich until police arrived. A former Army major and decorated Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, Richard Fierro, told reporters that he disarmed Aldrich and pistol-whipped him into submission.

The other man credited with subduing Aldrich, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas James, said in a written statement that he just wanted ‘to save the family I found.’ 

Aldrich had been held on hate crime charges but prosecutors had said previously they weren’t sure if those counts would stick because they needed to assess if there was adequate evidence to show it was a bias motivated crime.

District Attorney Michael Allen had noted that murder charges would carry the harshest penalty – likely life in prison – but also said it was important to show the community that bias motivated crimes are not tolerated if there was evidence to support the charge. 

In his booking photo, Aldrich appeared battered, with face and neck bruises apparently sustained when beaten by the bar’s patrons.

In his booking photo, Aldrich appeared battered, with face and neck bruises apparently sustained when beaten by the bar’s patrons

Pictured: Investigators at the scene of the Club Q nightclub, which was hosting a drag show when they said Aldrich walked in and opened fire. The club’s owners say Aldrich arrived with ‘tremendous firepower’ – an AR-15 rifle, six magazines of ammo and a handgun

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According to witnesses, Aldrich fired first at people gathered at the club´s bar before spraying bullets across the dance floor during the attack, which came on the eve of an annual day of remembrance for transgender people lost to violence.

More than a year before the shooting, Aldrich was arrested on allegations of making a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of about 10 homes. Aldrich threatened to harm their own family with a homemade bomb, ammunition and multiple weapons, authorities said at the time. 

Aldrich was booked into jail on suspicion of felony menacing and kidnapping, but the case was apparently later sealed and it´s unclear what became of the charges. There are no public indications that the case led to a conviction.

Ring doorbell video obtained by the AP shows Aldrich arriving at their mother´s front door with a big black bag, telling her the police were nearby and adding, ‘This is where I stand. Today I die.’

Derrick Rump (left) and Daniel Aston (right) were among the five killed Saturday night in the seemingly premediated attack, carried out by gunman Aldrich, who was armed with an AR-15

Photographs of victims of a mass shooting at a nearby gay nightclub are on display at a memorial on November 22, 2022, in Colorado Springs

Mourners gather outside Club Q to visit a memorial, which has been moved from a sidewalk outside of police tape that was surrounding the club, in Colorado Springs

Although authorities have not publicly identified a motive, the Colorado shooting was reminiscent of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman killed 49 people before police shot him dead.

Colorado no longer has a death-penalty statute. However, Aldrich could face a death sentence in federal court if prosecutors decide to charge him with crimes under the U.S. code, which still has capital punishment on its books for certain crimes.

Lawyers assigned to represent Aldrich from the Colorado public defender’s office have said in court filings that their client identifies his gender as nonbinary and prefers ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns.

District Attorney Michael Allen said after Aldrich’s initial court appearance on Nov. 23 that the suspect’s gender identity would have no bearing on how the case would be prosecuted.

Aldrich was previously arrested in June 2021 in Colorado Springs after the suspect had threatened to detonate a bomb and harm their mother with multiple weapons, according to a news release from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.