At least five people were killed and 18 injured as a result of gunfire at a gay nightclub in the US state of Colorado on Saturday night (11/19).
The suspect, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was detained and is being treated for injuries, police said.
Again, according to the police, the attacker was led by two “heroes” in the club.
US President Joe Biden has said that Americans “cannot and should not tolerate hate”.
Club Q staff, the site of the Colorado Springs attack, posted a message on Facebook that they were “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.”
Police asked people to be patient as they worked to identify the victims and ascertain the number of victims, adding that some of them went to the hospital.
attack
Authorities said they received the first emergency call regarding a gunman mobilizing at 11:57 PM (19:57 GMT) on Saturday.
The suspect was found inside the club. Two firearms were found at the scene and the attacker is believed to have used a long rifle.
Police said the reason for the shooting is not yet known, but they will investigate whether it was a hate crime and if more than one person was involved.
A spokesperson for the fire department said the victims were transported to hospitals very quickly due to training for such incidents.
The FBI, the US domestic intelligence service out of Denver, said it assisted local law enforcement in the incident.
Image: Getty Images
Police Chief Adrian Vasquez thanked the person who went to the two clubs who intervened to stop the gunman.
“heroes”
“Preliminary evidence and interviews suggest that the suspect entered Club Q and immediately started shooting at people inside the club,” Vasquez said at a press conference on Sunday. Said.
“While the suspect was inside the club, at least two heroes confronted and fought with the suspect and managed to prevent him from continuing to kill and injure others. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”
A statement on Club Q’s Facebook page thanked “the quick response of heroic customers who suppressed the shooter and ended this hate attack.”
The club was hosting a party and was planning to hold a performance event Sunday night to celebrate Transgender Remembrance Day.
corpses on the ground
Joshua Thurman, 34, was at the club when he was shot.
At first he thought the gunshots were part of the song, he told the Colorado Sun, but then he ran to hide in the club’s locker room.
“When I came out there were bodies on the floor, broken glass, broken glass, people crying,” he said.
“There was no stopping that man from coming to kill us. Why did that have to happen? Why? Why did people have to lose their lives?”
Image: Getty Images
Thurman, who lives near the club, said the venue is an important part of the local gay community. He believes he knows someone who was killed.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers described the incident as a tragedy.
“We are a strong community that has resisted hatred and violence in the past, and we will do it again.”
In 2015, three people were killed and nine injured by gunfire at a family planning clinic in Colorado Springs.
The state of Colorado has already recorded other mass shootings, including the killing of ten at a Boulder supermarket in 2021.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, who is gay, praised “the brave individuals who stopped the shooter and possibly saved lives in the process.”
“Colorado stands by our side as we mourn our LGTBQ community and all those affected by this tragedy,” he wrote on Facebook.
Image: Google Street View
The Club Q Facebook page has been flooded with comments and condolences from around the world.
One person wrote that the club had been “like home” for him for years and was “absolutely devastated” by the news.
“I met so many wonderful people, I literally met my husband there, so he has a very special place in my heart. Everyone has been so welcoming and kind over the years,” she wrote.
Another commentator added, “This news has blown me away.”
“Club Q has been the heart of our community for too long and I am devastated and angry that this has happened.”
In 2016, 49 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a shooting at the Pulse gay club in Orlando, Florida. At the time, it was the deadliest mass murder in US history.
– This text is published https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63697257
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.