Colorado gay club shooter identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich

The shooter who allegedly killed five people at a Colorado gay club late Saturday night before being subdued by two revelers has been identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich.

The rampage happened just before midnight at Club Q, an LGBTQ-themed venue that hosted a drag show and dance party, officials said.

Aldrich, 22, entered the club just before midnight and immediately began to open fire while entering the venue, police said at a Sunday morning news conference.

“At least two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought off the suspect…we owe them a great debt of thanks,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said.

Police arrived three minutes after receiving a 911 call and were able to apprehend the suspect two minutes later, officers said.

Investigators were examining Aldrich’s motive as they weigh hate crime charges against the suspect, who was initially believed to be a sniper.

Two firearms were recovered from the scene and witnesses told officials that Aldrich opened fire with a long rifle.

Eighteen injured people were being treated at local hospitals on Sunday morning, in addition to Aldrich. It was unclear if they were all shot or if some were injured as they tried to flee to safety.

The massacre was not the first time Colorado Springs, a city of nearly half a million people about 70 miles south of Denver, has been marred by a mass shooting.

In 2015, three people were killed and eight injured when a crazed man who opposed abortion opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Saturday’s incident also brought back painful memories of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Florida, when a Muslim man who had frequented gay clubs in the past and expressed contempt for the “dirty” members of the LGBTQ community killed 49 people.