by DENVER — The shooter who pleaded guilty to killing five people and wounding 17 others at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs was sentenced Monday to life in prison.
Anthony Lee Aldrich, 23, who identifies as non-binary and wears Mx. Aldrich allegedly walked into the popular Club Q on November 19, 2022 and opened fire. The shooter was accused of 323 criminal charges including first degree murder, first degree attempted murder, first and second degree assault, and hate crimes.
The ruling by El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Michael McHenry was expected to close the chapter on one of the worst mass murders in Colorado history, but the grief experienced by the victims’ family and friends, as well as the survivors, will continue indefinitely.
On the night of the shooting, the shooter first entered the club around 10:15 a.m. before walking back to the parking lot. The shooter re-entered shortly before midnight, wearing a ballistic vest and carrying an AR-15-style assault rifle, and allegedly carried out the attack.
The shooter was approached and disarmed by customers before being taken into custody by authorities.
The victims were between the ages of 22 and 40.
Survivors and family members of the victims addressed the court Monday during the sentencing portion of the hearing.
Jeff Aston, the father of 28-year-old Daniel Aston, said his son was a gifted poet with an infectious smile.
“A positive force has been brought out of the world. I was in the prime of his life. I was happy, I had hopes and dreams and plans that would never come true,” Aston said. “Losing him has caused us incredible pain and sadness.”
Some family members said the punishment should be similar to the pain and destruction the shooter caused.
“This man does not deserve to continue. What matters now is that he never sees the sunrise or the sunset,” said Adriana Vance, the mother of 22-year-old Raymond Green Vance.
She described her son as a kind, caring and gentle man who touched many people.
“He was always there for his family, friends and people he didn’t even know,” the mother said.
Army veteran Richard Fierro, who was at Club Q celebrating a birthday with family and friends, is one of two people who subdued the shooter. On Monday, he called the shooting an act of terrorism.
“This terrorist has shown no remorse for human life. His decision to murder and maim that night is inexcusable,” Fierro said, looking directly at the shooter, who was sitting in handcuffs and bent over next to defense attorneys.
“This terrorist is a coward and he chose to attack the innocent. That night they forced me to act in an inhuman way,” Fierro said.
A Q Club drag performer who survived the shooting said he lost his partner and his sense of safety.
“We as queer people were attacked. I forgive this individual as he is a symbol of a broken system of hate and vitriol that is pushed against us as a community,” the artist said.
The massacre came 17 months after the shooter was arrested following a confrontation the suspect livestreamed with El Paso County sheriff’s deputies.
After the suspect was arrested and jailed on suspicion of multiple counts of menacing and kidnapping, prosecutors decided not to pursue the case and the records were sealed, according to KUSA.
However, the suspect’s mother had reported that her son “was threatening to harm her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons and ammunition,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
In interviews, others who survived the shooting described the terror they felt when the shooter began firing bullets indiscriminately.
Michael Anderson, a bartender at Club Q, recalled in November hearing “some clicking noises” and initially assumed someone inside the club might have been clapping.
“Then I looked up,” he said, “and I realized that people were running.”
