Colorado Springs, Co – The suspect in the deadly shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs Saturday night was arrested on 10 counts, including first-degree murder and bias-motivated crime, according to court records.
Though they have yet to be formally charged, Colorado court records show Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was arrested for investigation of five counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and five counts of bias-motivated crime—causing bodily injury.
Court documents filed by the public defender Joseph Archambault show that Aldrich identifies as non-binary.
The first five charges are class 1 felonies, while the potential bias-motivated crime charges are class 5 felonies. Court records also show Aldrich is being held without bond in the case.
First-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted in Colorado.
State law on bias-motivated crimes refers to "unlawful acts against persons or groups because of a person’s or group’s race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation for the purpose of inciting and provoking bodily injury or damage to property."
Aldrich was hospitalized on Sunday after the shooting and their first court date had not been set as of 9 a.m. Monday, according to court records.
Aldrich is accused of carrying out the shooting just before midnight Saturday at the LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, killing five people and injuring 25 others. The Colorado Springs police chief said Sunday Aldrich used a long rifle in the shooting and another weapon was also found at the nightclub.
Police have still not confirmed a motive in the case despite the arrest-only charges. But Club Q called the shooting a “hate attack,” and officials said they would treat the investigation as one potentially involving a hate crime.
“We don’t know the motives precisely at this point in time. We’re looking at social media, we’re looking at all those sorts of things," Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said Monday morning. "But it certainly has the trappings of a hate crime, there’s no question about it.”
There are also questions about Aldrich’s past that the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has yet to comment on. Last year, a man with the same name who was 21 years old at the time was arrested after making bomb and weapons threats toward his mother in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood. Charges were not filed in that case.
The State Court Administrator’s Office said just before noon Sunday that it did not have any “public records” tied to Aldrich in Colorado.
The shooting happened at a haven for the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs, those who frequent Club Q said. The community says they are angry and sad that they feel they were again targeted in a shooting 6 ½ years after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla.
Police said Sunday they plan to provide another update on the latest developments on the shooting “by noon” on Monday. We understand this may be in the form of a press release, not a media briefing.
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Editor's note: The Club Q shooting suspect identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, according to court documents filed by their defense attorneys. This article has been updated to reflect the proper pronouns.
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