‘Heroic’ patrons of gay nightclub subdue gunman
Authorities said yesterday that a gunman who opened fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado – killing five and injuring 25 – was subdued by ‘‘heroic’’ patrons who hit him with his own gun.
The attacker’s motive isn’t yet clear, but it is being investigated as a hate crime.
The gunman, who was identified by police as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, opened fire at Club Q in Colorado Springs, just before midnight Saturday, local time, police said. He was quickly taken into custody when police arrived a few minutes after receiving a call, authorities said.
‘‘At least two heroic people’’ confronted the gunman and stopped the shooting, said Colorado Springs police chief Adrian Vasquez, adding: ‘‘We owe them a great debt of thanks.’’
One of the people in the bar took a handgun from the shooter and hit him with it, Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers said in an interview with CNN.
Suthers called it an ‘‘incredible act of heroism’’.
Of the 25 people injured, 19 had gunshot wounds, Suthers said. None of those were ‘‘deemed truly critical’’, the mayor said.
Two firearms, including a ‘‘long rifle’’, were found at the scene, according to Vasquez.
‘‘My heart breaks for the family and friends of those lost, injured and traumatised in this horrific shooting,’’ said Colorado governor Jared Polis, who became the first openly gay man in the United States to be elected governor in 2018. He called the shooting ‘‘sickening.’’
On Sunday afternoon, groups of friends and couples walked up to the entrance of the club’s parking lot, placing flowers near a sign that read ‘‘Love over hate’’.