Survivors of LGBTQ+ club shooting say deaths, trauma in lawsuits could have been prevented

DENVER – Adriana Vance steeled herself in front of the cameras, two years after her son was killed in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, a murder alleged in the lawsuits. could have been prevented by law enforcement and the owners of the club.

The two lawsuits, officially announced at a news conference Tuesday, target Club Q’s owners for not having adequate security and El Paso County commissioners and the former sheriff for failing to invoke the state’s red flag law after the incident. clear warning signs This shooter aimed with to commit violence.

One of the club’s owners denied the allegations, and El Paso County declined to comment.

Anderson Aldrich killed five people including Vance’s 22-year-old son at the club. However, the mother could not accept the death of her son after the armed attack.

“Someone else has sons, I don’t have Raymond,” Vance said to himself, pausing to choke back tears. “My Raymond, he will call.”

Then he lay in the coffin as if he were sleeping peacefully. “I saw him. And I touched it. And I kissed her cold body,” Vance said. “From that day on, I woke up terrified and still feel that way, but not that much.”

Vance’s remarks at the press conference came after he detailed the daily consequences that survivors of the shooting still experience: the immediate reaction to flee when a balloon bursts, the constant pain of three bullets still lodged in the survivors’ bodies, the profound loneliness of the survivors. I carry such trauma.

One of the lawsuits was filed by survivor Barrett Hudson, and the other was filed by a group of victims and relatives, including Vance.

Among those killed in the shooting were Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh.

Families and victims accused nightclub owners of fending off Club Q’s security detail of five or more people to a single person before the shooting, and of failing to take steps to prepare for such an eventuality.

“Club Q promoted itself as a ‘safe place’ for LGBTQIA+ people. But it was a surface,” read both complaints, which accused the club of negligence, among other allegations.

Club Q management did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but co-owner Matthew Haynes released a statement. Denver7 He denied all accusations, saying the blame belonged to Aldrich and “the system that provides easy access to weapons of war.”

“The pain of this tragedy is something we all carry with us every day,” Haynes said in a statement.

The focus of both cases was the political stance of El Paso County commissioners and the then-sheriff against Colorado’s red flag law, passed in 2019, which allows law enforcement to temporarily seize someone’s firearm if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

County commissioners and the sheriff viewed the red flag law as an encroachment on gun rights and vowed to “actively resist” the bill, according to court documents.

Aldrich was arrested in 2021, accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill his grandparents, reportedly saying they would be “the next mass murderer.” Aldrich, who uses they/them pronouns, was also accused of collecting ammunition, bomb-making materials, firearms and bulletproof vests, according to court documents.

The lawsuits allege that authorities did not attempt to remove Aldrich’s guns using a red flag law, adding, “This willful inaction allowed the shooter to maintain access to firearms, making the direct attack on Club Q possible.”

The lawsuits separately include negligence and wrongful death claims against El Paso County commissioners and former sheriff Bill Elder. Voicemails and messages left at phone numbers listed for Elder were not immediately returned.

El Paso County spokeswoman Natalie Sosa said she does not comment on pending litigation.

The trauma of that night two years ago remains indelible as survivor Ashtin shot Gamblin. He said a fireworks display at a music concert saw him squeal and try to escape as people looked on strangely and his mother covered her ears. Charlene Slaugh, one of the survivors, said she cried herself to sleep countless nights.

“I remember what it felt like to wonder if I was going to survive,” Slaugh said. Other survivors shared the same sentiment. “These memories don’t just disappear, they are now woven into the fabric of my life.”

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Bedayn is a syndicated member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. report for america is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.