UPDATE: Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers has said that the shooting at Club Q ended when a patron grabbed a handgun from the shooter and hit him with it, according to the New York Times. Suthers said, ““It happened quite quickly. This individual was totally disabled by 12:02. That had a lot to do with the intervention of these patrons.” Suthers also said Suthers said the shooting “has all the appearances of being a hate crime,” but that investigators were still going through the suspect’s social media history and conducting interviews in search of a motive.

UPDATE: DJ T-Beatz (Tara) is said to have been one of those injured in the shooting last night at Club Q. According to her friend Crystal Lucero, who has created a GoFundMe page to help pay her medical bills, Tara — who DJ’ed frequently at Club Q — “required surgery for her gunshot injuries. Her loved ones and the healthcare team are hoping she will make a full physical recovery.”

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting that the gun used by the shooter last night at Club Q was an AR15-style semi-automatic rifle. The Times is also reporting that many of the 25 people said to be injured were injured in the rush to escape the gunfire rather than having been shot. Many of them were treated at local hospitals and have already been released. Thank you to DV reader Cannon Brown for that information.

UPDATE: ABC News is reporting that the gunman who killed five people at Club Q in Colorado Springs last night is the same person arrested in a June 2021 bomb threat incident. Fox News elaborated on that earlier arrest: “Police received reports from Aldrich’s mother on June 18, 2021, stating that Aldrich was ‘threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition,’ according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department.”

UPDATE: Authorities initially said five people were killed and 18 injured. They have since corrected the number of injured to 25; several of those injured are said to be in critical condition.

UPDATE: Joshua Thurman told CNN affiliate KOAA he was at Club Q dancing when he “heard gunshots and saw a muzzle flash. ‘I thought it was the music, so I kept dancing. Then I heard another set of shots, and then me and a customer ran to the dressing room, got on the ground and locked the doors, and called the police immediately.'”

UPDATE: Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez has said the killer used a long rifle in the shooting and that two firearms were found at the scene.

At least are dead and 18 injured after a 22-year-old suspect entered Club Q in Colorado Springs Saturday night, Nov. 19, and started shooting, according to reports from numerous news outlets. CNN reports that several of the wounded are in critical condition.

Quick action by who customers moved to stop the shooter likely saved countless lives.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez identified the shooter as Anderson Lee Aldrich, saying that he entered the club shortly before midnight and immediately started shooting, at least two customers reacted immediately to stop him, according to KOAA News. Vasquez added, officers arrived on the scene within three minutes of the first call and had the shooter in custody two minutes later, the local TV station reports.

There is no word yet on the motive behind the shooting or whether it was a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ community. KOAA, however, does report that Club Q had advertised its Drag Divas drag show, starting at 9 p.m. Saturday. And CNN reports that the club had a drag brunch scheduled for today (Sunday, Nov. 20). Drag queens and drag shows have become popular targets of the right wing over the last year.

The FBI is on the scene and authorities have said local, state and federal law enforcement will work together on the investigation.

Names of the victims have not yet been made public as authorities work to notify next of kin.

Police also confirmed the shooter was carrying two weapons at the time of the shooting but did not identify what kind of firearms those were.

In a message posted to the bar’s website, CLub Q management said: “Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our prays and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”

The website also notes that the bar is closed until further notice.

Openly gay Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement calling the attack “horrific, sickening and devastating,” adding, ““We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands with our LGTBQ community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn together.”

— Tammye Nash