3 Victims of Colorado Springs Gay Club Shooting Remembered

Author: Alex Cooper

As details surface about the fatal shooting on Saturday night at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., that left five people dead and 25 wounded, information about those who died has also emerged.

Two of the five people killed — Daniel Davis Aston and Derrick Rump, worked at Club Q, according to ABC News.

Another was a visitor from Denver, the New York Times reports.

One of the Club Q workers who died, Daniel Davis Aston, a trans man, had moved to Colorado from Oklahoma, his mother, Sabrina Aston told the outlet.

“He was our baby and he was our youngest,” Sabrina Aston said.

Drag performer and Club Q employee Leia-Jhene Seals told The Colorado Springs Gazette that Ashton was always looking to help.

“He was always, ‘Do you need anything?’” said Seals.

The other bartender killed in the attack was Derrick Rump. Seals said Rump was a joker with a vivacious spirit.

Performer Tiara Latrice Kelley said Rump was “all about keeping people happy.”

On his Facebook profile, friends wrote that Rump was “one of the sweetest guys.”

Kelly Loving was another patron gunned down in the shooting. Her sister, Tiffany Loving, was told of her death Sunday by the F.B.I.

“She was loving, always trying to help the next person out instead of thinking of herself. She just was a caring person,” she told the Times. “I was really close with her.”

Loving’s friend, Natalee Skye Bingham, said she was devastated.

“She was a tough woman,” Bingham said. “She taught me how it was to be a trans woman and live your life day to day.”

Bingham said that she had just finished speaking with Loving before the shooting began. She said that Loving was like a trans mother to her.

The victims’ friends echoed the importance of queer families and queer safe spaces.

“A lot of us, we don’t have family, and (LGBTQ) people really need somewhere that’s a safe space,” Seals explained. “Club Q was that to us.”

Police accuse 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich entered Club Q at around 11:55 p.m. on Saturday night and immediately began firing at those inside the club. He was quickly taken down by at least two patrons, including one who took his gun and him with it.

This is a developing story…

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Alex Cooper