Club Q shooter moved from Colorado prison to Wyoming State Penitentiary
The Club Q shooter is no longer serving out the prison sentence in Colorado. Anderson Lee Aldrich is being housed in the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
Aldrich pleaded guilty in June to last November's mass shooting that killed five people at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ nightclub.
Aldrich pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder. Aldrich also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor.
The defendant is serving a sentence of life in prison on the murder charges under the plea agreement.
The Department of Corrections said that Aldrich was moved due to safety concerns surrounding the high-profile cases.
In a recent interview, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said his agency continues to learn and grow from its response to the tragedy one year ago. He said his agency has unfortunately had many opportunities to learn from real unfolding situations over recent years.
"We go back to New Life Church, Waldo Canyon Fire, Black Forest Fire, Planned Parenthood, the Halloween shooting. We try and learn from every one of those," Vasquez said.
After reviewing all of the body camera footage from the shooting at Club Q, which has not been released to the public, Vasquez said he was encouraged to see how quickly his officers responded to the scene.
"When I look at the body-worn cameras, I have seen all of those and I see how amazing the fast and methodical response our officers had," Vasquez said.
The officers were able to quickly enter the building and arrest the suspect thanks in part to the quick and heroic actions of bystanders at the bar who helped detain the shooter.
"When you see those first officers arrive and scene, and you see how quickly they arrive on scene, they did such a great job," Vasquez said. "The response that we gave that night was a great example of the police department and our officers and how good and amazing they are."
From the moment the first 911 call was made to the point the shooter was arrested was less than five minutes, according to Vasquez. He applauded the many agencies that helped respond to the scene that night and the prosecutors who helped secure a sentence that would ensure the shooter was never freed.
"Five life sentences and 2,208 years on that plea agreement, the largest one ever in the district," Vasquez said.
Club Q will reopen inside the historic Satellite Hotel, where the rebranded club "The Q" will be a lounge environment and a safe space for drag performances.
