Arrest records for accused Club Q shooter released to public
Dec. 7—On Wednesday night, the arrest affidavit for Anderson Aldrich, the person accused of killing five and injuring 17 at an LGBTQ+ nightclub last month, was released to the public.
The affidavit, filed to the court on Nov. 20, reveals that Aldrich apologized to medical staff at the hospital just hours after Aldrich allegedly opened fire inside Club Q.
"They (detectives) had overheard Anderson (Aldrich) tell medical staff he was sorry and he had been awake for four days," the affidavit states.
The affidavit details how on Nov. 19, minutes before midnight, Aldrich allegedly entered the Club Q nightclub and began firing at patrons with an AR-15-style assault rifle.
A person that the affidavit claims to be Aldrich can be seen exiting a car, a 2005 Toyota Highlander, in a screenshot of surveillance footage from the outside the nightclub. Detectives state in the affidavit that a cartridge for an AR-15-style rifle could be seen through the window of Aldrich's car.
"When Anderson (Aldrich) exited the driver's door of the vehicle, it was apparent that he was wearing a ballistic vest and was carrying an AR-15-style rifle," the affidavit states. "He entered the business and, after entering the business a short distance, he opened fire indiscriminately at patrons inside the club."
A second photo from the surveillance footage shown in the affidavit shows the suspect firing a gun inside the entrance of Club Q. The time stamp shows that the suspect began firing at 11:56 p.m., just one minute after arriving at Club Q.
The affidavit goes on to detail how Richard Fierro and another unidentified man, later determined to be Thomas James, subdued and beat the suspect before police arrived.
The affidavit states that "Anderson (Aldrich) may have sustained a gunshot wound to the head."
The full details of Aldrich's injury were not revealed within the affidavit.
Fierro stated to police after the incident that he heard the suspect reload during the shooting, implying Aldrich had more than one magazine with them during the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Aldrich was arrested and taken to the hospital following the shooting, and was booked into El Paso County jail a few days later.
Detectives state within the affidavit that they were unable to speak to Aldrich at the hospital for a reason that has been redacted from the arrest document.
The affidavit goes on to detail a conversation that detectives had with Aldrich's mother, Lauren Voepel, after Aldrich's arrest.
Voepel told detectives that she and Aldrich were planning to go to a movie the night of the shooting, but that Aldrich left stating they had to run an errand, but never returned, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also states that Voepel told detectives that neither she nor Aldrich owned any weapons, with the exception of one pocketknife owned by Aldrich.
The affidavit does not detail how the suspect obtained the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting or the handgun the suspect also had with them during the incident.
Aldrich is referred to within the affidavit as "he" but in court documents filed by Aldrich's defense attorneys a few days after the incident, Aldrich is referred to as nonbinary.
Aldrich's first appearance in El Paso County court was on Tuesday morning, where District Attorney Michael Allen informed the court that 305 charges had been filed against Aldrich. Those charges include 10 counts of first-degree murder, 86 counts of attempted first-degree murder and 48 counts of bias-motivated crime.
Wearing a yellow inmate jumpsuit and handcuffs, Aldrich stared straight ahead and did not speak during the first in-person court hearing. Aldrich's facial bruising had healed significantly since a video hearing nearly two weeks ago.
"We are not going to tolerate actions against community members based on their sexual identity," Allen said at a news conference after the hearing. "Members of that community have been harassed and (intimidated) and abused for too long. And that's not going to occur in the 4th Judicial District."
Attorneys representing Aldrich are expected to appear in court on Thursday morning to review a motion to unseal a 2021 case in which Aldrich is listed as the defendant.
Aldrich was arrested last year at their grandparents' home in Colorado Springs after Aldrich claimed to have a bomb and was planning to use it, according to previous reporting from The Gazette.
In arrest records for the incident obtained by Gazette news partner KKTV, Aldrich expressed hope to become "the next mass shooter" and wanted to "go out in a blaze."
In a video believed to be a live-stream of the incident obtained by The Gazette, a person believed to be Aldrich is seen wearing body armor and a helmet while toting what appears to be a rifle as that person moved between rooms. What appears to be a handgun on the bed comes into view as the person directs profanities at deputies outside the home.
"If they breach, I'm-a (expletive) blow it to holy hell," the suspect can be heard saying about law enforcement. "Go ahead and come on in, boys. Let's (expletive) see it."
Aldrich is next expected to be in court for the Club Q allegations on Feb. 22, for the start of a preliminary hearing.
Aldrich is being held in El Paso County jail with no possibility of posting bond.
