Five people were killed and 25 injured in a shooting at a nightclub popular with gay, lesbian and trans community residents in the US city of Colorado Springs. A 22-year-old man entered the club with an assault rifle and a handgun and immediately started shooting, police said. He was overpowered by at least two guests and is injured in the hospital. Several wounded club-goers have life-threatening injuries, doctors said. The alleged shooter has the New York Times according to previously refused to speak to the police.
A police spokeswoman said investigations were still ongoing into whether it was a case of hate crime. The federal police FBI, which is active in such cases, also takes part. The attack happened on the night of Transgender Day, a day to commemorate victims of transphobia. A transgender party with a drag show was scheduled for the night in the attacked “Club Q”.
According to police, the 22-year-old man entered the club with an assault rifle and a handgun and immediately started shooting. He didn’t say a word about it. Finally, the attacker was overpowered by a guest.
The guest was able to snatch a gun from the man and hit him with it, said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers New York Times. This guest “saved dozens and dozens of lives,” said one of the club’s owners, Matthew Haynes, at a memorial service scheduled at short notice. The attack was over after about a minute, said police chief Adrian Vasquez.
“‘Club Q’ is devastated by the senseless attack on our community,” the club’s Facebook page said. “We are grateful for the quick responses from heroic guests who overpowered the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
It was initially unclear how many people were in the club at the time of the crime. Investigations were still ongoing, said police spokeswoman Pam Castro at a press conference. Some of the injuries could not come from shots, but from the crush when fleeing. It is also possible that the information on the number of injuries will be adjusted, as some people drove to hospitals in private vehicles instead of ambulances.
Numerous police cars with blue lights flashing around the club could be seen on TV pictures. The transmitter KRDO spoke of one of the largest operations in the history of Colorado Springs. The police emphasized that there was a quick reaction: the first call came in three minutes before midnight, and the suspect was already in custody at 0.02 a.m.
After the police published the name of the attacker, it became known that, according to official documents, he had triggered a police operation by threatening his mother with a bomb last year. So far, however, it is unclear what became of the investigations against him at the time and how he got his weapons.
US President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. He stressed that America’s gay, lesbian and trans community had experienced “terrific violence” in recent years. “We must not tolerate hate,” Biden wrote in a statement, reiterating his call for tighter gun laws.
The incident is reminiscent of a 2016 attack in the state of Florida. At the time, a gunman killed 49 people in an Orlando LGBTQ+ nightclub before being shot dead by police himself.