Club Q shooter now faces federal hate crime charges as FBI opens investigation

The shooter sentenced to life in prison for killing five people in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs last November now faces federal hate crime charges.

More charges could be brought as FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek confirmed Monday that federal officials are working on a separate investigation into 23-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich.

It comes just hours after Aldrich pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder – one for each person at Club Q on the night of the shooting. Aldrich also pleaded no contest to two hate crimes, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor.

District Attorney Michael Allen said Aldrich’s statements were self-serving and ring hollow. And the prosecutor dismissed the idea that Aldrich was non-binary.

Allen told the judge that the victims were targeted “for who they were and are.”

“Hate associated with criminal action will not be tolerated,” he added.

District Attorney Michael Allen said Aldrich’s statements were self-serving and ring hollow. And the prosecutor rejected the idea that Aldrich was non-binary

“There’s no evidence before the shooting that he was non-binary,” said Allen, who repeatedly called Aldrich a coward.

“He displayed extreme hatred towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, and so I think it was a stilted effort to avoid any bias-motivated accusations or hate accusations.”

Aldrich was initially charged with more than 300 state counts, including murder and hate crimes. The US Department of Justice is considering hate crime charges at the federal level.

The status of those deliberations was unclear on Monday, but Michalek confirmed an investigation is ongoing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not requested that any documents in the case be released, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said.

Allen said the federal death penalty was “a big part of what motivated the defendant” to plead guilty.

“This defendant committed an act of terror against the slandered group of people based on the ideological hatred of this community”,

And I, as a district attorney – and I know the people behind me – will not put up with this kind of hatred and criminal effort in this community.

Allen says the Club Q shooter’s “cowardly acts” began before the nightclub attack in November 2022.

Those killed in the shooting have been identified as Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28; Derrick Rump, 38; Ashley Paugh, 34; and Raymond Green Vance, 22

Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado – where the shooting happened

“He intentionally evaded background checks to obtain the firearms he used at Club Q on November 19,” Allen said.

“He armed himself in a way that indicated he knew what he was about to do was wrong and he was prepared to kill as many people as possible.

“He attempted to broadcast the attack live surely to further victimize members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Allen continued.

The prosecutor said the weapon used by the suspect in the Club Q massacre was purchased by his mother, “thereby allowing the defendant to evade any background checks that would have been required had he legally purchased this handgun.

“All other gun parts used were similar with no serial numbers, which means he effectively evaded all ATF background check requirements for guns he owned on Nov. 19 and carried. in the club to commit his attack.”

“This evidence shows his intent,” Allen added.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said he received a formal request from the U.S. Attorney’s Office asking that they not release any documents, evidence or video due to their active investigation.

The DOJ is considering federal hate crime charges.

Derrick Rump (left) and Daniel Aston (right) were among five killed Saturday night in the seemingly premeditated attack, carried out by gunman Aldrich, who was armed with an AR-15.

Investigators at the scene of the Club Q nightclub, where Aldrich arrived with an AR-15 rifle

Aldrich, then 22, was formally charged on December 6 and charged and charged with 323 criminal charges, but did not plead guilty at the time.

Aldrich will serve five consecutive life sentences, plus 48 years for each attempted murder, totaling an additional 2,208 years.

On November 19, 2022, Aldrich, wearing a bulletproof vest, opened fire at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub. In addition to those killed, nearly two dozen others were shot or otherwise injured before being arrested by “heroic” bosses.

The shooting at Club Q recalls a massacre in 2016 when a gunman killed 49 people at gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida, before being shot dead by police.

Aldrich, then 22, was formally charged on December 6 and charged and charged with 323 criminal charges, but did not plead guilty at the time.

The attack at Club Q came more than a year after Aldrich was arrested for threatening his grandparents and vowing to become “the next mass murderer”. But, the charges were eventually dropped in this case.

Before Aldrich carried out the fatal shooting, the suspect threatened to kill his grandparents in 2021 for obstructing a plan to become ‘the next mass killer’

Aldrich is pictured last year showing up at the house where their mother was renting a room, after threatening to blow up their grandparents’ basement

Aldrich was later arrested after a confrontation with SWAT officers which was broadcast live on Facebook and the evacuation of 10 nearby homes, telling officers “If they rape, I’m a fuckin’ hell!” Aldrich eventually surrenders.

However, charges against Aldrich were dismissed in July 2022 after Aldrich’s mother and grandparents, the victims in the case, refused to cooperate with prosecutors, avoiding efforts to serve them with subpoenas. , according to court documents.

Other relatives told a judge they feared Aldrich would hurt their grandparents if released, painting a portrait of an isolated and violent person who had no job and received 30 $000 that was spent largely on buying 3D printers to make guns, records showed.

Aldrich was then released from prison and authorities kept two firearms – a ghost pistol and an MM15 rifle – seized during the arrest.

But nothing stopped Aldrich from legally buying more guns, raising questions immediately after the shooting about whether authorities should have applied for a red flag order to prevent such purchases.