A mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ bar late Saturday night left five dead and 25 injured.
The suspect, who has been identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, is in custody and being treated for injuries after he was “subdued” by patrons at Club Q, The Associated Press reported.
There were multiple guns found at the scene, but police say that the shooter used a long rifle, according to CNN.
The club called the shooting a “hate attack” on its Facebook page, and Colorado police say they are investigating whether this was hate crime.
Meanwhile, politicians from across the United States have responded to the attack:
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the United States, called the shooting “horrific, sickening, and devastating,” per NBC News.
In a statement posted to Twitter, he thanked the “brave individuals who blocked the gunman” and the first responders.
“Colorado stands with our LGTBQ Community and everyone impacted by this tragedy as we mourn,” Polis wrote.
Rep. Lauren Boebert
Lauren Boebert, who serves as a representative for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, tweeted, “The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful. This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responded to Boebert’s tweet by saying, “You have 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. Look inward and change,” she said in a tweet.
President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden tweeted that he was praying for the families of those killed in Colorado Springs.
“While no motive in this attack is yet clear, we know that gun violence has a particular impact on LGBTQI+ communities across our nation,” President Biden wrote.
“We must address the public health epidemic of gun violence in all forms. I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades, but we must do more,” he continued. “And we must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot tolerate hate.”