The shooter remains hospitalized following injuries sustained during the incident, and according to El Paso County Courts, he is facing five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. So, who exactly is Aldrich? Heavy.com did some quick digging to find out his political and familial ties, as well as his history with the authorities and possible issues with depression. Multiple people have flocked to social media questioning how Aldrich was free given the serious nature of his past charges. Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky tweeted: “I’d like to know why the Colorado Justice system continues to fail us. 1 year ago this guy was booked into the El Paso County Jail for 2 counts of felony menacing and 3 counts of 1st degree kidnapping. Why was this guy roaming free last night and not behind bars??”huge emergency response near Club Q in Colorado Springs. counted at least six ambulances pic.twitter.com/lOUwKsVhcO — daisy (@daiziezie) November 20, 2022
In June 2021, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office charged a man with the same name as the Club Q shooting suspect with two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping. It is also being reported that Aldrich is the grandson of outgoing GOP lawmaker and Trump supporter Randy Voepel, who represents San Diego’s 71st district. He’s on record comparing the January 6 attacks to the Revolutionary War, which led to calls to expel him from the California State Assembly. The victims of the shooting have been identified as Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Derrick Rump. “They were in so many ways polar opposites, but worked so well together,” Club Q performer Tiara Kelley told CNN about bartenders Rump and Aston. “They were just amazing, and every bar should have a Daniel and a Derrick.” When speaking about her brother, Kissling told CNN affiliate WFMZ that Rump “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.”I'd like to know why the Colorado Justice system continues to fail us. 1 year ago this guy was booked into the El Paso County Jail for 2 counts of felony menacing and 3 counts of 1st degree kidnapping. Why was this guy roaming free last night and not behind bars?? pic.twitter.com/I8NCpNtl87 — Danielle Jurinsky (@DaniJurinsky) November 20, 2022
Aston, on the other hand, moved to Colorado Springs two years ago to be closer to his mother and father. The club was a few minutes from their home, and after one of Aston’s friends told them he’d been shot, they rushed to the emergency room—only to find he’d never arrived.
“He had so much more life to give to us, and to all his friends and to himself,” his mother, Sabrina Aston, told The Denver Post.
In the wake of this mass shooting, leaders and activists are calling on lawmakers to enact protections for LGBTQ people.
Kelley Robinson, incoming president of the Human Rights Campaign, says she’s “equal parts heartbroken and enraged.” She is calling on lawmakers to pass commonsense gun legislation to combat the rise of extremism and white supremacy.
Peter Ambler, executive director of Giffords, an anti-gun violence organization led by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, said the shooting is part of a political system of hate and violence. He is calling on Congress and state legislatures to pass the Disarm Hate Act, which aims to prevent hate-motivated violence. Photos courtesy of Social Media
