Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Five killed in gay nightclub gun rampage
Thug held after ‘hate attack’
A GUNMAN has killed five revellers at a packed gay nightclub in what is being described as a hate attack.
One witness told how terrified customers fled for their lives during the rampage by 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, which also injured 18 people. There are fears the death toll could rise
Brave clubbers tackled the gunman to the ground to prevent further bloodshed.
Barman Michael Anderson said he “suddenly heard a loud shooting noise”.
The 25-year-old added: “I saw a person with a gun, and I immediately ducked behind the bar. Glass was flying around me.”
Michael fled to a patio area and hid, but he saw the full horrors of what had happened. He said: “I found a man on the floor after being shot in the neck. I was afraid I was going to die. I was preparing to get shot when the shots then stopped.
“I saw that two people had detained someone on the ground and were kicking them and yelling at them.”
Police chief Adrian Vasquez said: “At least two heroic people confronted the gunman and stopped the shooting. We owe them a great debt of thanks.”
Two guns were found at the scene of the killing spree at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Saturday. Police believe he acted alone.
Club bosses said they were “devastated by the senseless attack”. They added in a statement: “Our prayers and thoughts are with all the victims. We thank the heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the first openly gay man in US to be elected, described the rampage as “sickening”.
The gunman, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was last night in custody and being treated for injuries. Believed to be a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness, he was charged with murder and terror acts.
The attack came on Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed annually in memory of those murdered due to transphobia.
Glass was flying all around me. I was afraid I was going to die MICHAEL ANDERSON BARMAN AT GAY CLUB At least two heroic people stopped gunman
ADRIAN VASQUEZ LOCAL POLICE CHIEF