Shooter kills 5 at LGBTQ club

Toreros react to the tragedy in Colorado Springs

ABIGAIL CAVIZO / NEWS EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Last week, a 22-year-old man in Colorado Springs opened fire on an LGBTQ nightclub, killing five people and injuring at least 17. The man entered wearing body armor, holding an AR-15 rifle. According to the New York Times, Mayor John Suthers of Colorado Springs and the witnesses, a man from inside the club tackled the gunman and hit him with the butt of the gun, preventing further harm to the rest of the people inside the club. After the club owners looked over the security footage, it showed that two people also held the man down to the floor until the police arrived to take the gunman into custody. The incident took place hours after the nightclub, Club Q, made a post on Facebook about anti-transgender violence on the Transgender Day of Remembrance. 

USD junior Riley Lim was shocked and saddened by the news, explaining that some LGBTQ+ discrimination is also not always outright violence. 

“It is traumatizing to watch the news as a Chinese gay person and think that that could’ve been me. It is easy to be blinded by the corporate marketing schemes and straight people going to gay bars and saying ‘slay king,’ which makes people think that LGBTQ+ people are safe and even celebrated. In reality, so many of us are still facing so much violence,” Lim said. “For the gunman, I think he deserves the death sentence for this, but not only for murder. This was a hate crime.”

Since the shooting, the gunman was identified by police officials as Anderson Lee Aldrich. He was treated in the hospital for his injuries, and got out Tuesday morning. Aldrich is currently under investigation by authorities for charges of murder and possibly hate crime. 

A hate crime charge is a crime that is committed because of discrimination against someone’s identity, such as their race, ethnicity, religion or more. Historically, hate crime charges are difficult to prove in the U.S. First, the incident that happens has to be a crime. Second, prosecutors must prove the defendant’s motives are due to the biases against them. A hate crime could be seen due to someone’s perceived sexual orientation, but the crime could be defended as a coincidence, unless the defendent admits their primary motivation. 

While this shooting made national news, some people did not hear about this shooting specifically. Recently, there has been an increase in shootings in the United States that also made national news. On Oct. 13, a gunman killed 5 people in North Carolina. On Nov. 13, students at the University of Virginia were shot at, killing three football players. According to the Pew Research Center, 2020 was the highest year for gun related deaths, but it’s expected that this number has increased since this was the last year the data was fully taken.

USD senior Ryan Nguyen did not see the news of the shooting at Club Q but was disheartened to hear about the people that were harmed. 

“I feel like there’s so much hate in the world. I don’t think anyone deserves that and it just shows that people still have work to do and we can’t just be complacent in our social issues,” Nguyen expressed. “I feel sorry, and my heart goes out to the families of the people that are involved.”

Club Q posted on their Facebook page resources, such as a GoFundMe link, for people who want to help the club performers, victims and staff. Since the shooting happened, people can also keep up with what happened on Club Q’s Facebook page, as they are posting consistent updates. 

“We are overwhelmed with your support and most of all, your love,” Club Q wrote in a Facebook post. “So that we are able to provide help and resources to as many as possible who need it, we are shutting down a previously organized drop-in center at the Satellite Hotel and referring all to the Colorado Springs Police Department — provided free Community Resource Expo, providing our community members with mental health resources, spiritual support, emotional support animals, childcare, emergency financial resources, LGBTQ+ support, meals and other services.”

Outside of Colorado Springs, LGBTQ+ hate— both implicit and explicit ­­— is still an issue in 2022. In the USD community, first-year Alyssa Gute was devastated, but also insisting that policies must be changed.

“I can’t believe that after so many shootings, it’s crazy that nothing is being done about gun violence,” Gute said. “We need policy change 100%, and it’s also great to see when a big group of college students get together and they do marches and protests to try to get their voices heard. I know it’s hard to get young voices heard in this day and age, but I don’t think its impossible.”

Lim also gave advice for people who want to be a better ally for the LGBTQ+ community at this time. 

“I think the best way to be an ‘ally’ or whatever that even means anymore is to really be invested in the lives of your queer friends,” Lim said. “Donate to LGBTQ+ organizations. Support them emotionally. Be their friend. Don’t treat us as Gucci handbags that you wear for a month and then dump in the trash. We are a strong community but we are also a very tired community.”

Supporting the LGBTQ+ community at all times is not something Lim described as specific to this shooting. Educating oneself about supporting other communities before it happens can help prevent hate from spreading. In Colorado Springs, people around the area have rallied together to  support Club Q, starting the #ClubQStrong on social media. 

For the shooting that just occurred in Colorado Springs, the gunman was put  in   jail  without   bail.

The investigation is ongoing as the prosecutors are currently working to formally finalize the suspect’s  charges.