Anderson Aldrich 'threatened mom with bomb' year before 'killing 5 and injuring 25' in Colorado Springs Club Q shooting

THE Colorado Springs mass shooting suspect threatened his mother with a homemade bomb last year, reports claim.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is in custody after allegedly spraying bullets inside gay nightspot Club Q, killing five people and wounding 25 on Saturday night.

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Other club-goers overpowered the gunman and beat him with his own weapon until cops arrived just after midnight.

Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers praised their "incredible act of heroism" for preventing further bloodshed.

Cops said they are investigating the shooter's previous "interactions with law enforcement" as it emerged a suspect with the same name was arrested after a bomb scare in June 2021.

Anderson Lee Aldrich's mother called cops saying he threatened to hurt her with "a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition", reported KOAA at the time.

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Police, a tactical bomb squad and crisis negotiators raced to the address in the Lorson Ranch area of the city - but Aldrich and his mother were not there.

They later found him at another address a mile away. He refused to come out, sparking a three-hour standoff before he eventually gave himself up.

Around ten homes were evacuated but no explosives were found at either scene.

Aldrich, then 21, was arrested on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, reports KRDO.

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However there is no record of prosecutors going ahead with charges, reports the Associated Press.

It raised questions over where cops missed a chance to confiscate Aldrich's weapons under Colorado's "red flag" law.

Two of the five victims have been identified following the massacre.

A co-worker at Club Q paid a touching online tribute to slain bartenders Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston.

It said: "My boys are gone. Plz take care of each other. I love you both so much."

Another victim, Charlene Slaugh, was in intensive care last night after reportedly suffering 13 gunshot wounds and a collapsed lung.

Witnesses told of the panic inside the LGBT+ venue after the gunman stormed in with two weapons and started shooting.

The New York Times reported he wore body armor and was firing a long gun in the style of an AR-15 rifle.

Bartender Michael Anderson said he heard three bangs and saw the "outline of a gun" in the suspect's hands.

He said: "I was preparing to get shot, when the shots stopped.

"After a minute or two I wasn’t sure if it was over or not, so I got up and decided to make a run for it.

"I found a man lying on the floor being shot in the neck.

"What I can't stop thinking about is the visuals of the evening. Of the bodies, of the blood, of the broken glass, of the carnage in the wreckage and seeing a safe place turned into a war zone."

Clubber Joshua Thurman, 34, told the Colorado Sun he ran to take shelter in the club dressing room.

He said: "When I came out there were bodies on the floor, shattered glass, broken cups, people crying.

"There was nothing keeping that man from coming in to kill us. Why did this have to happen? Why did people have to lose their lives?"

Heroes 'saved dozens of lives'

At least two people tackled the gunman, police said.

Mayor Suthers said one person grabbed the gun and beat him with it, and another pinned him to the floor.

He said: "The call came into the police at 11.57pm. Police were on the scene by 12.00am - an amazingly quick response.

"This incident was over by 12.02am and that's largely because of the intervention of at least one, possibly two, very heroic individuals who subdued this guy.

"But for that, as tragic as this incident is... it could have been much, much worse but for these heroic actors."

The nightclub's owners also said "dozens and dozens of lives" had been saved by their actions.

"We owe them a great debt of thanks," added Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.

Aldrich was injured in the struggle and was arrested in hospital.

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, assisted by the FBI.

Vasquez described the nightclub as a "safe haven" for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ community.

"Every citizen has the right to feel safe and secure in our city," he said.

"To go about our beautiful city without fear of being harmed or treated poorly."

'Senseless attack'

The nightclub said on Facebook: "Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community.

"Our prays and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends.

"We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."

Sunday was Transgender Day of Remembrance in which Americans remember those who have been killed as a result of transphobia.

It was first observed in 1999 and is held annually on November 20 to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.

President Joe Biden said the gay and trans community "has been subjected to horrific hate violence in recent years.

He said: "Gun violence continues to have a devastating and particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation and threats of violence are increasing.

"We continue to see it in the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women — especially transgender women of color.

"And tragically, we saw it last night in this devastating attack by a gunman wielding a long rifle at an LGBTQI+ nightclub in Colorado Springs."

Biden also repeated calls for an assault rifle ban "to get weapons of war off America's streets."

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He added: "Today, Jill and I are praying for the families of the five people killed in Colorado Springs last night, and for those injured in this senseless attack."

In 2016, a targeted mass shooting killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

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