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Photos of the victims of the rampage at a memorial event in November
Photo: David Zalubowski/AP
The person suspected of opening fire at a Colorado nightclub popular with gay, lesbian and trans communities is expected to face murder and hate crime charges.
Corresponding charges were read out in court in Colorado Springs, the prosecutor announced.
The public prosecutor's office listed a total of 305 criminal offenses.
The defense lawyers had previously stated that the 22-year-old was non-binary – meaning that he did not clearly define himself as male or female.
A. prefers the pronouns "they/them," according to a footnote in the court filing.
According to the police, A. (22) entered the club in November with an assault rifle and a handgun and immediately opened fire.
According to the police, two people present at the club intervened and stopped A. Five people were killed and at least 17 others injured in the attack.
“I think the message we sent is clear.
When you report 305 felonies in a case, it shows the public, this community, this state, this country that we take this case as seriously as we can,” said Attorney Michael Allen.
He did not specify what specific evidence investigators found to support the hate crime allegation, merely emphasizing, "We will not tolerate acts against members of the community based on their sexual identity."
sak/dpa/AP
