Authorities are investigating whether the shooter who shot and killed 5 people at a Colorado gay nightclub Saturday night is the same person who was arrested in 2021 during a pipe bomb incident that forced the evacuation of at least 10 houses in a suburb of Colorado Springs.
In June of last year, officers with the El Paso County Sheriff
's Department
arrested a man with the same name and age as the suspect in opening fire at Club Q on Saturday, the local Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
[Suspect arrested in mass shooting at Colorado gay club that left at least 5 dead and 25 injured]
The man, identified as
22-year-old
Anderson Lee Aldrich,
is in custody at a local hospital, police said during a press conference Sunday morning.
According to the newspaper report, last year's case was dismissed, so no formal charges were filed and the file was declared confidential.
Authorities did not confirm if
Aldrich is the same person arrested in both incidents,
though
The Washington Post quoted a federal agent as saying the Q Club shooter's date of birth matches that of the bomb threat suspect in 2021.
A person cries during a ceremony honoring the victims of the Q Club attack held at All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022. Parker Seibold / AP
In the incident last year, the man's mother called the police to report that her son had threatened her with a bomb and other weapons.
When she called for help, the mother said she did not know where the suspect was, according to a
sheriff
's office statement cited by the Colorado Springs Gazette.
The police managed to locate the man, who barricaded himself in his mother's house for several hours until the negotiators managed to get him out and he was arrested.
Two bartenders died
In the case of this Saturday, the police responded to the first calls for help at around 11:57 pm (local Colorado time).
Club Q was hosting a “Drag Divas” show on Saturday followed by punk and alternative music and a birthday party, according to its Facebook page.
The attacker arrived with a rifle and began shooting into the crowd.
He killed 5 people and injured 25 before several bar patrons managed to control him.
Two of the deceased were Daniel Davis Aston and Derrick Rump, bartenders at the nightclub, according to various media reports.
Rump was also one of the co-owners of the location, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
[The “Heroic Clients” Who Confronted the Shooter Who Opened Fire at a Colorado Gay Club and Saved Lives]
Little by little, the identity of some injured people has emerged, including Jerecho Loveall, 30, who was shot in the leg.
His father, John Loveall, told The Washington Post that his daughter was at the club supporting a cousin who was performing that night.
He said that his relative called him after midnight to tell him that he had been shot.
Authorities believe the slain Idaho students were asleep when they were attacked
Nov 20, 202200:23
Another of the injured people was identified as DJ T-Beatz, who was working the door of the club.
He was shot in the stomach and appendix, and this Sunday he was recovering from surgery.
Authorities have praised the quick action of the people who brought the attacker under control.
Adrian Vasquez, chief of the Colorado Springs Police Department, said
"two heroic people" confronted the shooter
and stopped the attack.
“We owe them a great debt of thanks,” he said, “their actions clearly saved lives.
[“We have to vote for our lives”: the Hispanic LGBTQ community explains what motivates them to participate in this election]
“We appreciate the quick reactions from the heroic customers who subdued the abuser and put an end to this hateful attack,” Club Q posted on their Facebook page.
The shooting occurred the night before the Q Club held an event to mark International Transgender Day of Remembrance.
On his Facebook page he had announced a show for Sunday at 8 pm
