Colorado Springs shooting suspect charged with 305 counts, including hate crimes, murder
The suspect in the Colorado Springs, Colo., shooting last month that left five people dead and 17 others wounded at a LGBTQ nightclub was formally charged on Tuesday with 305 counts, including murder, hate crimes and assault.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, appeared before a judge in El Paso County District Court, where District Attorney Michael Allen announced the formal charges, according to The Denver Post.
The charges include 10 counts of first-degree murder, 70 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 48 counts of bias-motivated hate crimes and 90 first-degree assault charges.
Aldrich, who attorneys said identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, has been held without bond since the November shooting on preliminary hate crime and murder charges.
Authorities accuse Aldrich of opening fire with an AR-15-style assault rifle at Club Q, a popular gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.
The suspect, who was dressed in tactical gear, was taken down by two patrons and subdued by the time police officers arrived.
The attack coincided with Transgender Remembrance Day, which honors those who have died because of anti-transgender violence.
The filed charges on Tuesday also include sentence enhancers, which allow prosecutors to pursue harsher penalties upon conviction, according to The Denver Post.
The victims who died in the attack were Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance.
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