Police have named a 22-year-old as a suspect in the mass shooting at an LGBT+ nightclub in Colorado Springs on Saturday which left at least five people dead and 25 injured.
The gunman identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich was previously arrested in June 2021 after his mother told officers that he was threatening her with a homemade bomb and other weapons.
Colorado prosecutors declined to explicitly confirm the connection, saying only that the incident in 2021 was “all part of the investigation and will be released as appropriate”.
Mr Aldrich stormed inside the nightclub and opened fire on the patrons, before “two heroic people inside the club confronted and fought” with him according to chief Adrian Vasquez. He reportedly carried an AR-15-style rifle. Two firearms were recovered from the scene.
Police responded within minutes after several 911 calls from the scene just before midnight on Saturday, when the club hosted drag performances and a DJ the day before the club would commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance.
