City of West Hollywood officials like WeHo Mayor Lauren Meister and Mayor Pro Tem Sepi Shine are getting the word out about a candlelight vigil happening this evening for the victims of the Colorado shooting that took place at Club Q nightclub on Saturday night. The vigil is starting at the West Hollywood Rainbow Crosswalk at the southwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard (In front of Rocco’s WeHo at 8900 Santa Monica Blvd.), at 5pm. Supporters are encouraged to bring candles.
According to reports, an attacker opened fire in Club Q the gay nightclub in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, killing five people and wounding at least 25. The incident occurred at Club Q a nightclub that caters to the LGBTQ+ community. The suspect was allegedly subdued by patrons, and Colorado Springs police said he was taken into custody and hospitalized for treatment of sustained injuries.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Club Q said it was it is “devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our [prayers] and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
The Denver post reports that Colorado Springs police Chief Adrian Vasquez identified the suspect as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich at a news conference Sunday morning. Investigators recovered two guns on scene and said Aldrich used a long gun during the shooting, Vasquez said. Aldrich remains in a local hospital.
Law enforcement officials said Aldrich’s “interactions with law enforcement” are part of the broader investigation, and they would not say if he’d previously been contacted by police. A man with the same name and matching age was arrested in June 2021 for threatening his mother with “a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition,” according to media reports at the time. That man was arrested after a brief standoff.
The New York Times describes the series of events as follows:
The police received an initial call about a shooting at the nightclub at 11:56 p.m., said Lt. Pamela Castro, the Colorado Springs Police Department spokeswoman. Within six minutes, officers had entered the nightclub, Club Q, and had taken a suspect into custody, she said, adding that the suspect was also injured and being treated at a hospital.
The city’s police chief, Adrian Vasquez, said in a news conference that the gunman had used a long rifle. Two guns were recovered at the club, the chief said. He identified the suspect as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, and said that officials were investigating a motive.
The injured were taken to several hospitals, Lieutenant Castro said, adding that some also drove themselves to seek treatment, making the exact number of injured uncertain. Not all of the injuries were from gunshot wounds, officials said.
The F.B.I. said that it was involved in the investigation, and several Colorado lawmakers condemned the shooting. In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis praised the “brave individuals” at the nightclub who had “blocked the gunman.”
