Detective: Colorado Springs club shooter ran neo-Nazi site
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The 22-year-old accused of carrying out the deadly mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs in November ran a neo-Nazi website and used gay and racial slurs while gaming online, a police detective testified Wednesday.
Anderson Lee Aldrich used racial slurs while gaming, posted an image of a rifle scope trained on a gay pride parade and used a bigoted slur when referring to someone who was gay, Detective Rebecca Joines testified on the first day of a three-day trial to determine if there’s enough evidence to warrant hate crime charges against Aldrich.
Earlier Wednesday, a Navy sailor grabbed the barrel of a gunman’s rifle and an Army veteran rushed in to help as they ended the deadly mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs in November, a police detective testified Wednesday.
As panicked patrons fled from the dance floor at Club Q, Petty Officer Second Class Thomas James tumbled off a landing with the 22-year-old gunman. Petty Officer James, whose hand had been burned from grabbing the hot barrel of the rifle, then struggled with Aldrich over a handgun. Aldrich fired at least once, shooting Petty Officer James in the ribs, Detective Ashton Gardner said at the start of a three-day hearing to determine if there’s enough evidence to warrant a hate crime charge against Aldrich in the Nov. 19 attack.
After being shot, it is clear from the video that Petty Officer James was tiring, “but he continues to do what he can to subdue the suspect until police arrive,” Detective Gardner testified, noting that Petty Officer James later gave up his spot in an ambulance to someone else who was injured.
As Petty Officer James was grappling with Aldrich, Army veteran Richard Fierro rushed over to help, grabbing the rifle and throwing it, Detective Gardner said. Mr. Fierro then used the handgun to beat Aldrich, telling officers, “I kept hitting him until you came.”
Aldrich, who is nonbinary and uses the pronouns they and them, shook during the testimony about those they shot. Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Aldrich cried while being led out of court for the lunch break.
Petty Officer James, who issued a statement days after the attack saying he “simply wanted to save the family that I found,” didn’t appear to be at Wednesday’s hearing. Mr. Fierro, who sustained scrapes and bruises, sat in the back row. His daughter’s boyfriend was killed in the attack.
After the gunfire ended and police arrived, Aldrich tried to pin the shooting on one of the patrons who subdued them while also claiming that the shooter was hiding, Officer Connor Wallick testified. Officers didn’t believe it and shortly afterward confirmed that Aldrich, 22, was the shooter, he said.
Police found several highcapacity magazines at the scene, including a drum-style one that carries 60 rounds and was empty and others that carry 40 rounds, Detective Jason Gasper said. A state law passed after the 2012 Aurora, Colo., theater shooting bans magazines that carry more than 15 rounds.
Unlike the other charges Aldrich faces, including murder and attempted murder, hate crime charges require prosecutors to present evidence of a motive — that Aldrich was driven by bias, either wholly or in part. That could include statements Aldrich made on social media or to other people, said Karen Steinhauser, a trial lawyer, former prosecutor and current University of Denver law professor who isn’t affiliated with the case.
Coming into the hearing, prosecutors hadn’t revealed anything about why they charged Aldrich with a hate crime.
Although Aldrich identifies as nonbinary, someone who is a member of a protected group such as the LGBTQ-plus community can still be charged with a hate crime for targeting peers. Hate crime laws are focused on the victims, not the perpetrator.
Prosecutors usually win preliminary hearings since the standard of proof is lower than at trial and the evidence must be viewed in a light most favorable to them. But defense lawyers sometimes still want to proceed with preliminary hearings because they offer the chance to question witnesses under oath, including investigators, and to learn more about the government’s case than might be available in the reports that likely have already been turned over to them, Ms. Steinhauser said.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video. It showed Aldrich entering the club wearing a red T-shirt and tan ballistic vest while holding an AR-style rifle, with six magazines for the weapon and a pistol visible, said Detective Gasper. Soon after entering, Aldrich opened fire indiscriminately, authorities have said.
At Aldrich’s apartment, investigators found gunmaking materials, receipts for weapons and a drawing of the club. In Aldrich’s mother’s room, they found round gun range targets with holes in them, Detective Gasper said. She had taken him to the gun range.
During cross-examination, Detective Gasper said investigators found “concerning writings.” But he said they didn’t find a manifesto or a plan to target members of the LGBTQ community either on Aldrich or in his home.