Victims and “heroes” of shooting at US LGBT club identified

Mourners gathered Monday to pay tribute to those who died in the horrific attack at an LGBTQ nightclub in the US city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, to learn more about the victims and alleged perpetrators, as well as the “heroes” who helped stop the bloodshed. — comes out.

Club Q in Colorado Springs has been something of a haven for the city’s gay community for more than two decades. But on Saturday night, the security he tirelessly provided to his patrons was brutally compromised after a gunman believed to be Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, entered the premises and opened fire, killing five and injuring up to 19 others. . The specific motive, or lack thereof, has yet to be officially established, although some are already calling it a homophobic hate crime.

The identities of the shooter’s victims are being established. They are: Kelly Loving, 40, a transgender woman visiting Colorado Springs for the weekend; Daniel Aston, 28, bartender at Club Q, affectionately known as the “master of stupid business” for his entertaining performances; Derrick Rump, 38, another bartender described by clubgoers as “a staple” and nightclub life; Raymond Green Vance, 22, a Colorado Springs resident who just got his first full-time job and was visiting a bar with his girlfriend; and Ashley Pow, 35, a wife and mother of five who was in town to watch the stand-up comedian.

Additional information has also emerged about two men who helped thwart the shooter and lessen the effects of the shooting, who many refer to as “heroes.” Richard Fierro, the father of Vance’s girlfriend and a 45-year-old army veteran, disarmed the shooter, and Thomas James helped him.

“Their exact actions are part of the investigation so we can’t discuss details out of respect for the legal process, but with their permission we want to acknowledge their heroic actions,” the Colorado Springs Police Department tweeted. and honor Fierro and James.

Since the attack, a makeshift memorial has sprung up outside the nightclub, where mourners have gathered to pray, leave flowers and comfort each other. Further protests are planned in Colorado this week.

In response to the attack, U.S. President Joe Biden released a statement acknowledging the “horrifying hate violence” that the country’s LGBTQ community has experienced in recent years and denounced as “another community in America[d] was torn apart by gun violence.”

The shooting at a Colorado Springs nightclub was one of a string of gun attacks targeting the US LGBTQ community. The deadliest incident to date occurred at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12, 2016, in which 49 people died.