Army veteran gives account of tackling Colorado Springs gunman
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Lauren Boebert launched into a self-pitying rant on Thursday, after she came under fire for her response to the massacre at LGBT+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs.
The MAGA Republican appeared on right-wing network OAN where she moaned that she is tired of being “blamed” by “the left” for mass shootings.
“I have been accused of just about every mass shooting there has been since the Left has learned of my name,” she complained.
Ms Boebert came under fire this week when she branded the mass shooting that left five victims dead “absolutely awful” and said the victims were “in my prayers”.
Several lawmakers including AOC, members of the LGBT+ community and social media users were quick to point out that she has been fuelling right-wing hate against the LGBT+ community.
Suspected shooter Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, opened fire just before midnight on Saturday with an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun. Aldrich, who has not entered a plea or spoken about the incident, wanted to be the “next mass killer” and go out “in a blaze”, according to past arrest records.
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Shooting raises questions about how suspect got gun
The shooting has raised questions about how Anderson Lee Aldrich was allegedly able to access a gun.
Last year, the accused shooter was arrested for felony menacing and first degree kidnapping, after their mother alleged they threatened her with homemade bombs and other weapons.
Nonetheless, the weapons used in the shooting were purchased legally, even though Colorado has universal background checks which bar people with felony or domestic violence convictions from buying guns.
The state also has a “red flag” law, which allows citizens and police officers to petition a judge for an “extreme risk protection order” (ERPO) against any gun owner they believe to pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.
Rachel Sharp25 November 2022 10:35
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Boebert launches self-pitying rant after slammed for response to shooting
US representative Lauren Boebert said it was “disgusting” to blame her for what happened in Colorado Springs, as she went on a self-pitying rant after she was called out for “hypocrisy” over her response to the shooting.
In an interview with KAO, the Republican Congresswoman said: “That is completely false. I have never had bad rhetoric towards anyone and their personal preference as an adult.”
She defended her past rhetoric, saying what she “criticised is the sexualisation of our children. And I’ve criticized men dressing up as caricatures of women”.
The far-right congresswoman faced blowback following her statement of concern in response to the shooting at a gay nightclub in the state when Twitter users accused her of trafficking in the same hate that has been blamed for the attack.
But several called her out after noting that Ms Boebert was deeply entrenched in the resurgence of right-wing hate against the LGBT community.
Shweta Sharma25 November 2022 10:09
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Mass shooting at LGBT+ club follows wave of threats to drag performers and venues
A mass shooter brought violence into a nightclub known as a safe haven to the LGBT+ community in Colorado Springs. The violence follows an increase in attacks, harassment and legislation aimed at drag events.
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 10:00
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Army veteran reveals how he tackled Colorado Springs shooter
Richard Fierro, 45, told The New York Times he was with family and friends at Club Q on Saturday night when the suspect burst in and began spraying the club with automatic gunfire.
Mr Fierro said that his military training kicked in and he ran towards the shooter — later identified by police as 22-year-old Anderson Aldrich — grabbed them from behind by their body armour and pulled them to the ground.
“I just knew I had to take him down,” Mr Fierro said.
Rachel Sharp25 November 2022 09:00
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Joe Biden calls the owners of Club Q after shooting in Colorado Springs
On Thanksgiving, President Joe Biden called the owners of the Colorado Springs gay nightclub where a gunman opened fire and killed five people last weekend.
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 08:00
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House lawmakers call on Justice Department to investigate threats to children’s hospitals targeted over gender-affirming care
Congressmembers Dwight Evans, Ayanna Pressley and Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a letter with roughly 40 House lawmakers calling onthe US Department of Justice to investigate the “wave of threats of violence directed to several children’s hospitals” because of their treatment of transgender and non-binary patients.
Lawmakers called on the agency to counter threats and provide guidance on how to protect hospital staff and patients.
The letter from 36 lawmakers was issued after the mass shooting in Colorado Springs, with LGBT+ advocates pointing to increasing threats of violence and harassment aimed at LGBT+ people in the months leading up to the attack.
It also comes as several children’s hospitals have responded to hoax bomb threats and harassment after they were repeatedly targeted by far-right influencers on social media.
“From the brutal nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs this weekend to the latest bomb threat against Boston Children’s just last week, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ violence is on the rise and must be taken seriously,” Congresswoman Pressley said in a statement.
“That’s why we’re calling on the DOJ to immediately step up efforts to help keep health care providers, patients and community members safe,” she added.
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 07:00
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Records suggest Colorado Springs suspect wanted to ‘go out in a blaze’
According to arrest records in an unrelated bomb threat case in 2021, investigators believed that the suspected mass shooter in the Club Q attack told family members they wanted to carry out a mass shooting or bombing and “go out in a blaze.”
The then 21-year-old allegedly made “homicidal threats” to their grandparents when they announced plans to sell their house and move to Florida in 2021, according to the court records.
They also said the move would mess with their plans to build a bomb, a scheme referenced in court papers, where investigators requested a search warrant to look for weapons and explosives to “prevent a reported planned terrorism attack,” according to records reportedly obtained by KKTV.
At a previous family meeting about the move, the outlet reports, Aldrich allegedly drew a loaded gun and claimed “you guys die today.”
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 06:00
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These are the five people who were killed in the Club Q attack
Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh and Raymond Green have been identified as the five victims of the mass shooting inside Club Q.
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 05:00
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Ex-Trump lawyer says Colorado Springs victims are ‘reaping the consequences of having eternal damnation’
A former legal adviser to Donald Trump alleged that the five people who were killed inside Club Q gave “no evidence at all that they were Christians” and that they “are now reaping the consequences of having eternal damnation.”
“And that is far, far greater – we should be having that conversation,” she added. “Instead of just the tragedy of what happened to the body, we need to be talking about what happened to the soul and the fact that they are now in eternal separation from our lord and savior Jesus Christ.”
Jenna Ellis’s remarks come as right-wing media commentary and far-right influencers continue to amplify inflammatory anti-gay and anti-trans rhetoric after mass shooting killed five inside LGBT+ nightclub:
Alex Woodward25 November 2022 04:00
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Co-owner of gay nightclub blames shooting on new ‘type of hate’
Nic Grzecka, co-owner of the Colorado Springs gay nightclub where a shooter killed five people, has blamed it on right-wing activists and politicians creating a new type of hate.
Speaking to Associated Press in the first comments since Saturday night’s attack at Club Q, Grzecka said the targeting of a drag queen event is connected to the art form being cast in a false light in recent months by right-wing activists and politicians who complain about the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children.
“Lying about our community, and making them into something they are not, creates a different type of hate,” said Grzecka.
Even though general acceptance of the LGBTQ community has grown, this new dynamic has fostered a dangerous climate, he added.
Shweta Sharma25 November 2022 03:42