Colorado Club Q shooting suspect is grandson of California assemblymember
SACRAMENTO — The suspected gunman who opened fire at an LGBTQIA+ nightclub in Colorado, killing five and injuring several others, is the grandson of a California assemblymember.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, faces five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury after opening fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs over the weekend.
Aldrich is the grandson of state Assemblymember Randy Voepel.
"It could have been anyone of us," said former Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen.
Club Q in Colorado Springs was supposed to be a haven for visitors, but Saturday, it became a place of peril.
"Safe spaces like that should never be desecrated by violence," Hansen said.
The mass shooting was felt nationwide. Hansen, the first openly gay Sacramento City Councilmember, was shattered again, remembering the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando and now watching Colorado relive the nightmare.
"They were all there to let their guard down, to be safe," Hansen said.
Hansen helped create Lavender Heights, the unofficial home to Sacramento's LGBTQIA+ community.
"You walk through the doors of The Depot, Badlands, Faces and you know instantly someone will take care of you if something happens. You can hold your partner's hand, kiss the person you're dating," Hansen said. "Our community was outraged. Well, it's important everyone talks about hate and violence because the way it thrives is pretending like it doesn't exist."
The Club Q shooting was a shock to California's legislature after learning of Aldrich's familial ties to Voepel.
"I know Randy Voepel. Like me, he's also a veteran. We shared time. We shared conversations. His rhetoric after January 6 was horrible," said California Senator Susan Eggman.
Senator Eggman is the chair of California's LGBTQIA+ caucus and claims Voepel's support for the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and for former President Donald Trump was disturbing.
"This is dangerous speak. It's not just a political opinion. It is hate-speak. It is dangerous and it leads to these very kinds of incidents," said Senator Eggman.
CBS13 did reach out to Senator Voepel's office for comment but did not hear back. The Sacramento Police Department is increasing security in the area of Lavender Heights to make sure it's safe for all people.
