Colorado Club Q Tragedy: Families Seek Justice Two Years After Mass Shooting
Two years after Anderson Aldrich attacked Club Q in Colorado Springs, survivors, and families have taken legal action. The suits target both the club’s management and local law enforcement, pointing to serious safety oversights.
In remembrance of the 2nd anniversary of the Club Q shooting, here's a look at events going on tonight to honor the victims and survivors. https://t.co/RzUtLZ2ijv
— KRDO13 (@KRDO_13) November 20, 2024
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office faced criticism for not using Colorado’s red-flag law. Enacted in 2019, this law allows police to remove firearms from people who pose risks. The shooter had shown clear warning signs in 2021, including threats to become a “mass killer.”
A History of Concerning Behaviour
In 2021, the shooter faced arrest for threatening their grandparents. They collected weapons, ammunition, and body armour. Despite these actions, no steps were taken to remove their access to firearms.
The legal papers state Club Q reduced its security team from five people to one before the attack. Barrett Hudson, who survived with three bullets still in his body, joins other victims in these suits.
It was on this day two years ago when a gunman, armed with an assault weapon and high-capacity magazines and fueled by hate, opened fire inside Club Q—an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, CO—killing five people and wounding 17 others. Club Q had several events scheduled the… pic.twitter.com/MJHQ5GWPvh
— Moms Demand Action (@MomsDemand) November 19, 2024
Aldrich, now 24, sits in prison serving multiple life sentences. In 2023, state courts gave them life for five murders and 46 attempted murders. In 2024, federal courts added 55 more life terms for hate crimes.
The attack claimed the lives of Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh.
Two years after the Club Q tragedy, loved ones share treasured memories of lives lost. 💔
— Good Morning America (@GMA) November 19, 2024
Family and loved ones reflected on the lives of Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance and Derrick Rump, who were killed in November 2022 in the Club Q mass shooting. https://t.co/uSunc2G4q7 pic.twitter.com/pEVFeX088T
El Paso County’s stance on gun rights played a role. The county had declared itself a “Second Amendment sanctuary” in 2019, though this status held no legal power. The county office has not commented on the current legal proceedings.
The victims will speak about their legal action at a news conference on the attack’s second anniversary.
