November 21, 2022 Mass shooting in Colorado Springs

Michael Allen, the district attorney for El Paso County said there is some evidence that the suspect in Saturday night’s mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub had animosity toward the community.

In Colorado, hate crimes are referred to as "bias-motivated" crimes, Allen says.

If the evidence in the case “supports bias-motivated crimes,” then the district attorney’s office will go ahead and file charges. 

“The location is some evidence. The fact that these victims were in a specific location that is predominantly frequented by members of the LGBTQ community… that is evidence and we can use toward the decision of bias-motivated crimes, but we're looking for other evidence as well as that,” Allen said.

When asked if officials had uncovered any social media accounts from the suspect, Allen said he could not answer that question. 

Allen also chose not to comment on where the suspect had bought the two weapons used in the shooting.

Meanwhile, Allen says the suspect is capable of speaking with law enforcement at this time but added, “I’m going to leave it at that. I don't want to infringe upon his right to remain silent." 

Allen says the suspect does have an attorney but did not name that attorney.

Following the tragic shooting in Colorado Springs that left five dead at an LGBTQ nightclub Saturday, first lady Jill Biden said Monday it “hurts our hearts” that gun violence keeps going “on and on."

Asked about the shooting while receiving the official White House Christmas tree, Biden said: “It just hurts our hearts really that this keeps going on and on. I just know it sounds hollow to say our hearts and prayers are with them.” 

Biden said she didn’t know whether she and the president would visit Colorado. 

Five people were killed and 19 injured after a shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub over the weekend, the Colorado Springs Police Department said.

Police clarified the number of victims Monday afternoon, saying, "We know many more community members were present at Club Q during the shooting, who may be victims with no visible injuries."

Here's what we know about the victims so far, according to police:

Police also said that the suspect remains in custody at a local hospital, "so a photograph is not available at this time."

The grandfather of the shooting suspect in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is outgoing California Assemblyman Randy Voepel who’s been serving as a state lawmaker since 2016.  

Voepel was formerly the mayor of Santee, California. His daughter, Laura Voepel, is the mother of Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, who was arrested Sunday on suspicion of opening fire in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. The shooting left at least five people dead and more than two dozen injured. 

Randy Voepel, who lost his reelection bid earlier this month, could not be reached for comment. It was unclear how much Voepel interacted with his grandson.

As a lawmaker, Voepel attracted attention when he compared the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol to the Revolutionary War. 

President Joe Biden called Colorado Gov. Jared Polis this afternoon following the deadly shooting in Colorado Springs, the White House said Monday. 

Biden called Polis at approximately 2:22 p.m. ET. 

At least five people were killed and 25 were injured after a gunman’s attack at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub Saturday.

The owners of Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida will loan Section 93 of the Sea-to-Sea Rainbow Flag to Colorado Springs to display in its city hall in honor of the lives lost in the mass shooting at an LGBTQ bar, Colorado Springs City Council member Nancy Henjum told CNN in an interview on CNN Newsroom. 

The flag has been on display in Orlando since 2017, according to the city of Orlando. 

Section 93 of the flag has served as a tribute to the lives lost at the Pulse Nightclub shooting and a sign of support of freedom lovers worldwide.

Henjum said there will likely be a ceremony or acknowledgment when the flag is presented.  

Derrick Rump, was among those killed in the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs, his sister Julia Kissling confirmed to CNN. 

Rump worked as a bartender at the club along with Daniel Aston, who was also killed during Saturday night’s shooting. 

When speaking about her brother, Kissling told CNN affiliate WFMZ that her brother “found a community of people that he loved really much, and he felt that he could shine there, and he did.”

“He made a difference in so many people's lives, and that's where he wanted to be,” Kissling said. 

“It's just surreal, still," Michael Kissling said. "They're still processing situation of what happened. They're still mourning the loss of their, her other son and her other brother a couple of months ago. And it's just, hate's never acceptable. It doesn't matter what you think in life, it's just, hate is never the way to go. And I just, we send prayers to all the families involved."

Rump was a native of Berks County, Pennsylvania and graduated from Kutztown Area High School in 2002, according to his sister.

The US Attorney’s Office in Colorado is offering its “deepest condolences to the victims and their families” impacted by the Club Q shooting while working to determine “what federal response is warranted.” 

In a statement on Monday, US Attorney Cole Finegan said:

Numerous local and regional partners are working on the investigation, it added.

Alex Gallagher had just left Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, about 20 minutes before a gunman opened fire killing at least five people—including two of Gallagher's friends, she told CNN.

Gallagher has several friends that work at the nightclub as performers and behind the bar. "I lost two of my friends and I know a few of them are currently in the hospital right now," she said Monday. She's not sure of the condition of her friends who are still recovering at the hospital.

On Saturday night, Gallagher was not able to get in touch with friends who were there so she left the club early. "I figured it was just best to have an early night—and thank God," she said.

Gallagher said she was driving home, and "got a call from my friend that was in the outdoor smoking area, and he was hiding—and I heard everything that happened."

Gallagher said she's "fed up" with the violence toward the LGBTQ community.

"We won't stand for this hate no more. We're fed up [with] being pushed around and bullied and getting hurt and killed because people just don't like the way we are," she said.