Back to our team coverage
now in Colorado Springs,
Corey Rose is outside of Club Q.
This morning, Corey once again
Colorado dealing with the
aftereffects of a mass shooting.
Yeah, a memorial is growing behind me
here at Club Q and Colorado Springs.
That club, it's an LGBTQ nightclub
is here, off to my right.
Crime scene tape still here and
police officers still here as well.
I do want to step out of the
way so you can see the growing
memorial that is here behind me.
It's filled with flowers and candles,
balloons, messages,
and then really this whole
street is lined with journalists
from all over the country.
Here's what we know as of this morning,
at least five people are dead,
25 others are hurt.
Police say it is not clear yet if all
of these people were shot or whether
they were hurt trying to run away.
They say the suspect went inside the
club and started shooting right away.
Now he's in custody in the hospital.
My colleague Jordan Chavez is joining
me now here in the springs as well.
And this community is really reaching out.
Yeah, you know, this is something that a
lot of people right now are hurting from,
not just here in Colorado Springs, Corey,
but the LGBTQ plus community as a whole.
This is a big conversation online.
A lot of people right now
checking in on each other.
Of course though,
because places like Club Q,
these are supposed to be safe havens for
people within the LGBTQ plus community.
This is somewhere they go to feel
accepted when they felt like the rest
of society may have rejected them.
So the actual owners of the club,
they're now weighing in.
We were able to hear from them
yesterday about all of this.
They say that this is a place
where a lot of kids,
you know,
they grow up when they turn 18 or
19 and they feel a little bit more
comfortable living their truths and
they come to places just like Club Q
and these owners have seen that happen.
Time and time again,
and with historic events happening
in recent years like the legalization
of gay marriage and more acceptance
of the LGBTQ plus people,
they say it became a place where a
lot of allies would actually come
and support their friends within
the LGBTQ plus community as well.
Now, unfortunately,
what happened here has some people
questioning if Club Q and other LGBTQ
plus clubs are still safe for them to be.
However,
others are saying we refuse to
be intimidated.
There were forces in this community.
They were known.
They meant so much to us and they
wouldn't want us to stay inside and
hide and be afraid, not even for them.
And knowing that my friends died
actually hopping in front of
the gunman, that says it all.
And of course, while we see this memorial out
here just continue to grow outside of Club Q,
even just this morning,
a lot of people are feeling this again,
not just in the Colorado Springs community,
but in the gay community,
LGBTQ plus community all around the world.
Something that you're seeing a lot
online right now is people saying
now is the time to really hug your
chosen families a little bit tighter.
You know, something I think that's hard to
deal with is a lot of parents right now,
Cory, we're also reaching out to
their kids saying, where are you?
Are you home?
And that's a reality in this world right now.
Parents don't feel safe for their LGBTQ
plus kids and not every LGBTQ plus
person still feels safe even in 2022.
Now
I was just going to say that's what's
so tragic about this is this was a
kind of like a safe haven for this
community to come to and to be together
and to be them their true selves.
And then this happens.
And I know that you started, you know,
reporting on this yesterday morning just
hours after it broke and you're really
involved in this community as well.
How has it been for you in the last 24
hours and and the people you know. You
know, in one way, I say.
This is a hard story to cover.
And on the other hand,
I think this is the story I need to cover.
These are people I know.
These are places that I know
very well on the inside as well.
And I know the people who come here,
they're checking in on each other.
They were gathering together
yesterday and they're gathering
together again today, this week.
Of course,
this is the week where a lot of people
are going to be with their families.
And for the LGBTQ plus community,
that's going to be families that they
have chosen as they've grown up and
live in their truth a little bit more.
Yeah, I think you're right saying,
you know, just hug the ones that you love.
Little bit tighter today, of course.
This investigation is really,
really just beginning again.
This happened just a little over
24 hours ago, and there's still a
lot to know about this shooting.
What led up to it and a
motive is still unknown.
News reporter Darius Johnson is
joining us from police headquarters
with some more information.
Darius.
Hey there, Corey. Good morning.
As you just mentioned,
this investigation is just now
getting underway. Right now.
What investigators are trying to
learn is trying to piece together
and learn exactly what is the motive
and exactly how all of this happened
is and also trying to learn a
little bit more about this suspect.
But before they can begin any of that,
it goes into trying to put together
a timeline to piece together
exactly what unfolded inside of
Club Q on Saturday night.
This individual entered the
the building and very quickly
started opening fire on patrons
and on people who worked there.
And the timeline is still being
really figured out and and we could,
I think we're going to get
a really good timeline.
Those are the actions of the suspect
who police have identified as 22
year old Anderson Lee Aldrich.
Police say he entered the club
and immediately started shooting.
The first calls came into 911 at 11:57
and police were able to take the shooter
into custody minutes later at 12.
O2 police credit two people inside the
club for fighting with the shooter and
preventing him for injuring more people.
They believe that happened within
one minute of the gunman entering
inside the club.
They say it happened so fast
that five people.
Sadly lost their lives and
dozens of others were hurt.
Now we know in the last 24
hours since the shooting,
investigators have tried to
speak with the suspect's mother,
who they say was not very cooperative.
During that interview.
They've also,
or they're also hoping to be
able to speak with the suspect
who is hospitalized after being
taken down by those club goers.
One thing that they're saying right now,
speaking to the people who know the
suspect or speaking to the suspect is
going to be key in moving forward because.
That's going to be the only way
for them to learn exactly how all
of this happened and possibly
being able to put together the
motive in all of this as well.
We're going to continue our
coverage this morning and send
things back to Corey Rose,
who's over at the memorial.
Yeah, lots of still learn from this
investigation in this shooting,
Darius. Thank you. Of course,
there have been memorials and vigils,
not just here in the springs,
not just here in Colorado,
but really across the country.
Yeah. 9 news reporter John Glasgow
is back in studio this morning.
Talk a little about some of the
reaction that we're seeing all
across the US right now. John,
you're absolutely right.
Reaction pouring in from across the country.
President Joe Biden saying in a
statement that places of acceptance
and celebration should never be turned
into places of terror and violence.
The president is also calling for tougher.
Gun safety laws as another community
has been torn apart by another
mass shooting across the US,
people in the LGBTQ plus community are
and their allies are coming together to
remember the lives lost in Colorado Springs.
A memorial service was held in Orlando
where in 201649 people were killed at the
Pulse nightclub when a gunman opened fire.
That was the 2nd deadliest
shooting in American history.
Police have yet to confirm a motive here,
but the assault comes amid a
growing trend of anti-gay crimes,
up more than 50%.
This year,
Colorado Governor Jared Polis is the
first openly gay man elected to governor.
He called the News of the shooting horrific,
sickening and devastating.
This was just a place of safety for people.
It was a place where people could,
in a conservative community,
often get the acceptance that too
many of them might not have had it
at home or in their other circles.
And to see this occur is really just
put us all in a state of shock here
in Colorado and across the country.
So Governor poll has ordered
flags lowered to half staff on
all public buildings statewide.
That's starting this morning, Gary.
President Biden also said in a statement too,
that he plans to push to enact rather
an assault weapons ban to get more of
these weapons of war off the streets.
And Gary, I'll also check the Gun violence
archive that counted right now 601
mass shootings so far this year alone.
Of those shootings,
20 involved five or more fatalities.
That includes the latest shooting at
the club here in Colorado Springs.
600, yeah, I mean it's incredible when you,
when you look at that number.
But you know, obviously the will for
any sort of any sort of gun legislation
is not there or with 600 people,
it would have happened, you would think.
You think with these types of weapons
that are used in these crimes,
I mean there's just there as
he mentions, a weapon of war,
you can kill people so quickly as
and in this situation this happened
in a matter of minutes and colors.
OK. Thank you much.
We appreciate it, John.
And we'll check back in with our crew
in Colorado Springs in a little bit.
This is a hard time for all of us,
especially the LGBTQ plus community.
If you do need to talk to someone,
know that help is available,
just head to our website.
We have an article with several
mental health resources
available that's at 9news.com.
The Colorado Healing Fund
has also been activated.
That is a way to donate money
in a secure way that will go to
people who are affected by this
tragedy as a long term recovery.