Suspect accused of killing 5 at Colorado LGTBQ+ nightclub faces 305 charges

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged the man accused of killing five people and injuring more than a dozen others last month in a shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ club with more than 300 criminal counts.

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Authorities arrested Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, on five counts each of first-degree murder and bias-motivated crimes causing bodily injury after the Nov. 19 shooting. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Aldrich with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, bias-motivated crimes and attempted murder, The Denver Post reported.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Aldrich would face a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole, according to Reuters. Court officials said Aldrich is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in February.

Officials said Aldrich, who goes by they/them pronouns, walked into Club Q late on Nov. 19 and began shooting, The Associated Press and the Post reported. Two clubgoers, Thomas James and Richard Fierro, were able to subdue Aldrich, wrestling them to the ground and beating them into submission, according to the AP and police.

Authorities initially said five people were killed and 25 others were injured in the attack. Police later said 17 were wounded by gunfire and five others were also injured, although they had no gunshot wounds.

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

Authorities previously investigated Aldrich in 2021, after their mother reported that they threatened her with weapons, including a homemade bomb, according to a news release from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. The incident prompted officials to evacuate homes in the area, though no bomb was ultimately found.

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