Club Q shooter Anderson Lee Aldrich sentenced to additional 190 years in prison without parole

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.

24-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, who claims to be non-binary, was sentenced to 55 concurrent life sentences after pleading guilty to 74 hate crimes and firearm charges.

Aldrich opened fire in the LGBTQ+ venue Club Q in Colorado Springs on 19 November 2022, before being wrestled to the ground and disarmed by two of the club’s attendees.

A plea deal negotiated by the court means Aldrich narrowly avoided the death penalty after admitting that the attack was in part motivated by the perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of those in the venue.

“Fueled by hate, the defendant targeted members of the LGBTQIA+ community at a place that represented belonging, safety, and acceptance – stealing five people from their loved ones, injuring 19 others, and striking fear across the country,” attorney general, Merrick B Garland said in a statement.

“The Justice Department is committed to protecting the right of every person in this country to live free from the fear that they will be targeted by hate-fueled violence or discrimination based on who they are or who they love.”

The 190 years in prison is already on top of the five consecutive life terms and an additional 2,212 years without parole that Aldrich is serving 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, saying that the “devil awaits with open arms.”

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

“What brings joy to me is that this hurt individual will never be able to see the joy and the light that has been wrought into our community as an outcome,” Kent continued.

Daniel Aston, 28; Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; Derrick Rump, 38; and Raymond Green Vance, 22, were all killed as a result of the shooting.

Club Q’s spokesperson, Michael Anderson, said the attack was a “malicious and bigoted act of violence” meant to “deprive countless lives of those rights – including my own.”

“While justice cannot undo the bullets fired, lives forever changed, and friends we’ve lost on that horrific night, I hope these additional charges will serve as a deterrent from any individual seeking to commit violence.”