At Least 5 People Killed in Mass Shooting at Colorado Springs Gay Nightclub
At least five people were killed and 18 injured in a deadly mass shooting Saturday night at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has been called a “hate attack.”
Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Lt. Pamela Castro said in an early Sunday morning press conference that police received calls about an active shooting at Club Q at 11:57 p.m. local time. Upon arriving at the scene, officers immediately located the suspect — who the club said was “subdued” by customers, though police wouldn’t confirm — and transported them to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.
“At this point in time, the suspect is being treated, but is in custody,” Castro said. The suspect’s identity was not revealed.
“Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community,” the nightclub wrote in a statement on Facebook. “Our [prayers] and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
On its website, Club Q advertised a “Drag Diva Drag Show” on Saturdays. The club added that they will remain “closed until further notice.”
Police have not yet revealed a motive, though the Colorado Springs police will provide more details at a press conference scheduled for 8 a.m. local time Sunday. The FBI is also on the scene and investigating, Castro added.
Colorado Rep. Jason Crow tweeted, “Horrific situation in Colorado Springs. I’m thinking of all victims & their families, & will continue monitoring the situation. These attacks must stop. My heart is with our LGBTQ+ community as we all reel from this violence.”
The Colorado Springs attack comes six years after the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse gay nightclub where 49 people were killed, and is the latest in a string of anti-gay attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Colorado has also witnessed the Columbine high school shooting in 1999, the Aurora movie theater shooting in 2012 that killed 12 people and, last year, a mass shooting at a Boulder supermarket that killed 10 people.
Sunday, Nov. 20 marks the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which “honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence,” GLAAD said.
Music
via https://www.DMT.NEWS
Daniel Kreps, Khareem Sudlow
