Anderson Lee Aldrich, the mass shooter who killed five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado last year, received an additional 55 life sentences on Tuesday after pleading guilty to hate crimes. The 2022 massacre at Club Q in Colorado Springs also left 22 people injured.
Aldrich is already serving five life sentences for the attack
Aldrich, already serving five life sentences for the attack, was further sentenced by US District Judge Charlotte Sweeney, who added another 55 life terms and an extra 190 years. The judge underscored the significance of sentencing during Pride Month and emphasized the resilience of the LGBTQ community. “You went to this community’s safe place and mass-murdered people, but I hope what you learned today is this community is much stronger than you,” she said.
The sentencing came after Aldrich amassed a $9,000 arsenal over two years and targeted LGBTQ members. Federal hate crime charges in the US carry severe penalties, including the death penalty, which prosecutors agreed to forego in exchange for Aldrich’s 74 guilty pleas.
The tragic events unfolded on November 19, 2022, when Aldrich entered Club Q and began shooting with an AR-15-style assault rifle, killing five people. Two club patrons bravely subdued Aldrich until police arrived.
The Club Q shooting is part of a grim history of attacks on LGBTQ venues in the US
Federal prosecutors detailed Aldrich’s online activity prior to the crime, revealing racist and anti-Semitic beliefs and a statement condemning transgenderism as a mental illness. Additionally, a week before the shooting, Aldrich posted a photo of a rifle sight aimed at a pride parade with the comment “lol.”
Matt Kirsch, Acting US Attorney for the District of Colorado, expressed the significance of the plea and sentencing. “As part of today’s plea, the defendant admitted to committing acts of hate against members of the LGBTQIA+ community,” Kirsch said. “I hope that today’s sentence demonstrates to the victims and to the many others touched by this horrific crime that we will not tolerate hate-fueled violence against anyone.”
Defense attorneys stated that Aldrich, 24, identifies as non-binary, though state prosecutors claimed there was “zero evidence” of this identification before the attack.
The Club Q shooting is part of a grim history of attacks on LGBTQ venues in the US, with the deadliest being the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting that claimed 49 lives. The incident has heightened concerns within the LGBTQ community over increasing hateful rhetoric, particularly ahead of a contentious presidential election.
The United States, with more firearms than inhabitants, holds the highest rate of gun deaths among developed countries.