Survivors and family members of those killed in the 2022 mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs have filed two lawsuits against the El Paso Sheriff's Office and others, alleging that they could have prevented the shooting.
The lawsuits were filed over the weekend — two days before the two-year anniversary of the attack at the LGBTQIA+ venue.
Those killed in the shooting were Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh.
The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court. Barret Hudson, who has three bullets in his body from the shooting, filed one; while a second was filed by families of the deceased.
The lawsuits highlight the El Paso County commissioners’ and former sheriff Bill Elder’s decisions not to use the state’s red flag law. The commissioners repeatedly opposed the implementation of the state’s red flag law, and the sheriff’s office declined to make use of it against the Club Q shooter.
The suits say that the law should have applied to the shooter, Anderson Aldrich, after an arrest in 2021 for allegedly kidnapping and threatening Aldrich’s own grandparents, during which Aldrich reportedly expressed intentions to become a “mass killer.” The red flag law could have helped temporarily remove firearms from Aldrich’s possession, and possibly prevented Aldrich from making future purchases.
The shooter has since pleaded guilty to the five murders and 46 attempted murders at Club Q, receiving a life sentence in 2023, and later pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes, which added 55 life terms.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office told the Associated Press this week it would not comment on pending litigation.
Previously, the office argued that the red flag law would have been “redundant,” given Aldrich was put under another order following the 2021 arrest, which also temporarily banned Aldrich from having guns. However, that order was dropped when the case was dismissed.
In addition to arguing that authorities should have tried to use the red flag law, the lawsuits accuse Club Q’s owners of neglecting security measures at the venue “despite the increased awareness for greater security at LGBTQIA+ nightclubs.”
The lawsuits claim that in the years prior to the shooting, Club Q cut its security staff from five employees — including an armed guard — to a single worker who was also tasked with other duties at the club, like serving food to patrons.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
