Five people have been killed while no fewer than 25 others have sustained injuries when a gunman opened fire inside an LGBTQ nightspot, Club Q, in Colorado Springs, United States late on Saturday.
Several of the injured were in critical condition and being treated at local hospitals, authorities said.
Police identified the suspect as Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22.
The suspect used a “long rifle.” The shooter burst in with a rifle, a military-style flak jacket and what appeared to be six magazines of ammunition.
Club Q is a safe haven for the LGBTQ community in Colorado’s second-largest city.
One of the victims was identified as Daniel Aston, 28.
Police said the initial phone call about the shooting came in just before midnight, and that the suspect was apprehended within minutes thanks to the quick action of law enforcement and the bravery of at least two patrons who intervened.
Multiple firearms were found at the venue, including the rifle, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez told a news conference on Sunday.
One patron, Joshua Thurman, choked up as he told reporters that he was dancing in the club when he first heard gunshots. He sought refuge in a dressing room and locked himself inside with others, praying for his life and thinking about loved ones.
“We heard everything,” Thurman said. “We heard more shots fired. We heard the assailant being beat up by someone that I assumed that tackled him. We heard the police come in. We heard them yelling at him. We heard them saying, ‘Take certain people because they’re critical.'”
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said one patron grabbed the attacker’s own gun and hit him with it during the shooting in Club Q on Saturday night.
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Another club-goer reportedly helped to keep the gunman pinned down until police arrived.
Mayor Suthers described the intervention of several club-goers as an “incredible act of heroism”.
“The call came into the police at 11:57p.m. Police were on the scene by 12:00 – an amazingly quick response,” he told CNN.
Governor of Colorado Jared Polis, who is gay, praised the “brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process”.
Matthew Haynes, one of the club owners, told the New York Times that “dozens and dozens of lives” had been saved.
At an earlier news conference, police chief Adrian Vasquez made similar comments.
“Initial evidence and interviews indicate that the suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting at people inside as he moved further into the club.
“While the suspect was inside of the club, at least two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others.
“We owe them a great debt of thanks,” Vasquez said.
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