Authorities To Charge Club Q Shooting Suspect With Hate Crime

 The 22-year-old suspect who allegedly killed five and wounded 17 others after opening fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado just before midnight Saturday is facing charges on ten counts, including five counts of bias-motivated crimes.

The gunman, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy about not giving notoriety to mass killers, opened fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs, which describes itself online as an “adult-oriented gay and lesbian nightclub hosting theme nights such as karaoke, drag shows & DJs.”

The suspected gunman was detained and taken into custody shortly after the attack.

Local media reports authorities said the shooter faces five counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and five counts of a bias-motivated crime that caused bodily injury. Prosecutors suggest the shooting is considered a hate crime based on the bias-motivated crime charge.

District Attorney Michael Allen said the gunman could be released from the hospital Monday and appear in court as early as Monday or Tuesday.

Police said the suspected gunman entered the venue with a long rifle and immediately began shooting. At least two patrons inside the club confronted and stopped the shooter, authorities said.

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said, “their actions clearly saved lives,” while Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez described them as “heroic.”

Club Q management said the establishment is “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.”

“Our prays (sic), 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,” the establishment’s management said.

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, the country’s first openly gay governor, said the shooting was “horrific, sickening, and devastating.”

“We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting. Colorado stands with our LGBTQ Community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn.”

Left-wing corporate media pundits and politicians have attempted to link the mass shooting last weekend to those who oppose progressive social agendas in the United States.

Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert offered prayers for the victims and their families in a tweet following the mass shooting.

“The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful,” Boebert said. “This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly.”

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to Boebert’s statement claiming she “played a major role in elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric and anti-trans lies while spending your time in Congress blocking even the most common sense gun safety laws.”

“You don’t get to “thoughts and prayers” your way out of this,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Look inward and change.”

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested and booked the gunman in June 2021 on two counts of felony menacing and three first-degree kidnapping charges in connection to a bomb threat, leading to a standoff at his mother’s home in Colorado Springs.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a report by the shooter’s mother alleging he was “threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition.” Authorities did not find any explosives in the home.

Howard Black, a spokesman for the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment to NPR on whether any charges were pursued.