Club Q Patrons Pistol Whipped and Pinned Gunman in Colorado Shooting

Author: Alex Cooper

More information about the mass shooting at a Colorado gay nightclub is slowly coming to light, including details about the attack itself and how the gunman was stopped.

Club Q, a queer venue and safe space for the LGBTQ+ people of Colorado Springs, saw a massacre Saturday night, minutes before midnight. At least five people were killed and more than 20 injured as the alleged gunman entered the establishment and began immediately firing at patrons.

In a press conference on Sunday, authorities said that patrons were able to take down the gunman while waiting only minutes until police arrived.

Related: Suspected Club Q Mass Shooter Identified by Colorado Police

Within five minutes after the first calls to 9-1-1, the gunman had been subdued, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told The New York Times.

“It was quite something,” he explained. “It happened quite quickly. This individual was totally disabled by 12:02. That had a lot to do with the intervention of these patrons.”

The carnage ended after someone grabbed the gun from the suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, then hit him with it. When police arrived, patrons had pinned Aldrich to the ground.

Club Q co-owner Matthew Haynes told those gathered at a candlelight vigil on Sunday at a local Unitarian Universalist Church that the man saved “dozens and dozens of lives,” according to the Times.

Haynes and Club Q’s other co-owner Nic Grzecka said another man helped pin the gunman down until police arrived. The two said they’d seen the security footage of the attack. That video has been turned over to the authorities.

“I don’t even know the names of these people,” Mr. Grzecka said. “But what they did is incredible.”

“There were lots of mini-heroes who were taking people home, making sure people were safe,” Mr. Haynes told the crowd.

He added, “To our knowledge, [the gunman] has not entered our building before.”

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Alex Cooper