What we know about the suspect in the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting

Authorities have named Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, as the only suspect in a shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday night that left five people dead and at least 25 injured.

In Colorado Springs, at Club Q, a popular gay and lesbian bar, police found a handgun and a handgun. The New York Times reported that the suspect was shooting an AR-15 rifle and was wearing a body armor.

The mayor of Colorado Springs said a nightclub patron grabbed a gun from Aldrich, who was then subdued by at least two patrons.

Police are still trying to gather a motive and more details about the suspect, who is being treated for his injuries at a local hospital.

But some information about Aldrich has surfaced.

In June 2021, a man with the same name and age was arrested for making a bomb threat in the southeast suburb of Colorado Springs. according to The Gazette, local newspaper.

Aldrich’s mother told police her son threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons, The Gazette reported.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office evacuated the neighborhood and locked down the area until Aldrich got out of the home he was in.

Aldrich was charged with two counts of criminal endangerment and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, but the charges were later dismissed and the charges dismissed.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said all signs point to it being the same person.

The incident raised questions about Colorado’s red flag law, which allows authorities to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals who pose a potential threat to the public.

Aldrich’s mother, Laura Vopel, lived in the home in the Colorado Springs area until the June 2021 incident, when she was asked to move out. according to The New York Times. Aldrich may have lived nearby at his grandparents’ house.

Facebook posts shared by Laura Voppel’s page show that Aldrich’s grandfather is Randy Voppel, a California Republican state legislator who compared the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol to the Revolutionary War.

In the midterm election, Randy Voppel lost his seat to a challenger.