Club Q shooter sentenced to another 190 years in prison

The Club Q shooter who killed five people and injured 22 others in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ venue has been sentenced to 190 years in prison.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 24, who claims to be nonbinary, was sentenced to 55 concurrent life sentences after pleading guilty to 74 hate crimes and weapons offenses.

Aldrich opened fire at the LGBTQ+ venue Club Q in Colorado Springs on November 19, 2022, before being wrestled to the ground and disarmed by two clubgoers.

Through a court-negotiated plea deal, Aldrich narrowly avoided the death penalty after admitting that the attack was motivated in part by the perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of the people in the venue.

“Driven by hatred, the defendant targeted members of the LGBTQIA+ community in a place that represented belonging, safety, and acceptance – robbing five people of their loved ones, injuring 19 others, and spreading fear and terror across the country,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the right of every person in this country to live free from fear of being a victim of hateful violence or discrimination based on who they are or who they love.”

In addition to the 190 years in prison, Aldrich will already serve five consecutive life sentences and an additional 2,212 years without parole after pleading guilty to the attack in 2023.

Following the guilty plea in 2023, family members of the victims read statements condemning Aldrich’s actions and saying that “the devil is waiting with open arms.”

Wyatt Kent, the partner of Club Q bartender Daniel Aston, said Aldrich represents a “broken system of hate and malice.”

“What brings me joy is the fact that this injured person will never see the joy and light that has been created in our community,” Kent continued.

Daniel Aston (28), Kelly Loving (40), Ashley Paugh (35), Derrick Rump (38) and Raymond Green Vance (22) were killed in the shooting.

Club Q spokesman Michael Anderson said the attack was a “malicious and bigoted act of violence” aimed at “depriving countless people of their rights – including my own.”

“While justice cannot undo the shots fired, the lives forever changed, and the friends we lost that terrible night, I hope these additional charges will have a deterrent effect on anyone who attempts to resort to violence.”