Shooting Sparks Questions About LGBTQ+ Rights

A few weekends ago at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs called Club Q, a man now identified as Lee Aldrich opened fire killing 5 and injuring at least 17 others. Aldrich who is 22 is now facing five counts of first-degree murder and 5 counts of bias-motivated crime. Police received several 911 calls at around 11:56 p.m. which is the time the shooting began. An officer was called there at midnight and the suspect was taken at 12:02. There were 2 firearms recovered at the crime scene, a long rifle as an AR-style weapon meaning there was preparation before the crime, and a handgun, however the long rifle was the one primarily used throughout the crime. He arrived heavily protected with a military-style flak jacket when he first went into the club. The reason the nightclub shooting didn’t take as many lives as it could’ve was due to 2 patrons, Richard Fierro and Thomas James, who subdued the gunman before the police arrived. The shooting came on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is a day to remember all those who’ve suffered at the hands of anti-trans violence. This sparks the question: was this a coincidence?

Lauren Cox, a freshman at Palisade explained what she thinks about this awful shooting and the night, “I just think it’s such an awful tragedy and so many innocent people's lives were lost that night. Justice needs to be served for these families,” she said.

Throughout this tragedy and the loss of so many well-loved people that night, we hope there is closure and justice for the many families who have lost so much.