Mass Shooting At Gay Nightclub In Colorado Leaves 5 Dead, 18 Injured

Five people were killed and another 18 injured in a mass shooting incident last night at a gay nightclub in Colorado.

The shooting occurred at Club Q in Colorado Springs just before midnight. Police said they have a suspect in custody. A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police, Lt. Pamela Castro, said multiple 911 calls were placed starting at 11:57 p.m. local time reporting the shooting. Police were quickly dispatched to the scene.

“They did locate one individual who we believe to be the suspect inside,” said Castro. “At this point in time, the suspect is being treated, but is in custody.”

Police have remained tight-lipped about the identity of the suspect, how he was injured, or a possible motive.

“Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community,” the popular nightclub posted to social media early this morning. “Our prays and thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends.”

While police provided few details on the incident, Club Q thanked “the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”

The nightclub had been hosting a punk alternative drag show followed by a dance birthday celebration.

This is the second mass shooting incident with multiple deaths at a gay club this year.

During Pride month in June, two people were killed and 21 injured in a mass shooting that took place outside a gay club in Oslo, Norway. The shooting came a little more than 12 hours before the city’s Pride, which was canceled due to the violence. Police arrested Zaniar Matapour, a Norwegian citizen who had immigrated from Iran, for the crime, noting he had a history of violence and making threats against the LGBTQ+ community.

Last December, an employee at The Heat nightclub in San Antonio, Texas, was left with potentially life-threatening injuries after they were shot by a patron who had been kicked out of the gay club for fighting a short while earlier. The injured employee was bringing water to a security guard outside the club Sunday evening when he was shot by a suspect from a car that was leaving the scene.

The largest mass shooting incident against the LGBTQ+ community took place on June 12, 2016, when Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire with a firearm at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 and injuring 53 others. Mateen, who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, was shot and killed by police after a three-hour standoff.