Suspect in LGBTQ nightclub shooting facing murder, hate crime charges

The man accused of carrying out a shooting attack on an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado is being held on murder and hate crime charges, The New York Times reports Monday, per court records. Five people were killed and at least 18 others injured in the incident.

Specifically, the suspect, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, is looking at five counts of murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. The Times notes the charges "are preliminary and subject to change."

As of Monday afternoon, the suspect was still in the hospital.

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The attack on Club Q in Colorado Springs began around midnight on Saturday, when police first received word of an active shooter situation. A patron, Richard Fierro, was ultimately able to subdue the shooter and had him pinned down when police arrived on the scene, The Associated Press reports.

"Had that individual not intervened this could have been exponentially more tragic," Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told AP.

Per a law enforcement official, the suspect was using an AR-15 style rifle; a handgun was also recovered from the scene.

Thirteen people remained hospitalized as of Monday, while five of the injured have been treated and released. Officials also revised the total number of injured down to 18, after initially reporting 25.