Heroic bystanders fought back when a gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado this weekend.
Five people died and a further 25 were injured in a mass shooting when Anderson Aldrich, 22, burst into Club Q and took aim at clubgoers with a "long rifle" on Saturday, according to authorities.
Adrian Vasquez of Colorado Springs Police Department told a news conference yesterday that the suspect began shooting immediately upon entering the venue before moving further inside.
As Aldrich carried out the attack two brave patrons then fought against him, and were able to prevent him from taking any more victims.
Describing the incident and the brave response of the two people, he said: "Initial evidence and interviews indicate that the suspect entered Club Q and immediately began shooting at people inside as he moved further into the club"
"While the suspect was inside of the club, at least two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought with the suspect and were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others. We owe them a great debt of thanks."
He added that the first officer arrived at the club just before midnight. The gunman was then taken into custody before being treated for injuries at a local hospital.
Eleven ambulances and 34 firefighters attended the scene, with the incident declared a "mass casualty event".
Club Q, which advertises itself as an "adult-oriented gay and lesbian nightclub hosting theme nights such as karaoke, drag shows & DJs", said in a statement they had been left "devastated by the senseless attack on our community".
They went on to praise the "quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."
On Sunday, it was reported Anderson Lee Aldrich forced neighbours in surrounding homes to evacuate in an incident last year where he threatened his mother with a homemade bomb.
Bomb squad and crisis negotiators eventually talked him into surrendering.
Despite the outburst, records do not suggest police or relatives tried to trigger Colorado's "red flag" law, which would have allowed authorities to seize his weapons and ammo.
It comes as two of the victims gunned down in the mass shooting have been pictured for the first time.
Friends have paid tribute to Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston, who both worked as bartenders at Club Q.
Michael Anderson, 25, who was working the bar when the gunman carried out the savage attack, told The Mirror: "I was bartending and then I suddenly heard a loud shooting noise. I looked up and then those noises began to fire off multiple times repeatedly.
"I saw a person with a gun, and I immediately ducked behind the bar and glass was flying around me."
