US: LGBTQ club shooting suspect charged with 305 counts
December 7, 2022
The suspect in a deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in the US state of Colorado was formally charged on Tuesday with 305 criminal counts including hate crimes and murder.
The 22-year-old man is accused of entering Club Q last month — wearing body armor — and opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle.
Five people were killed in the rampage while at least 18 were injured.
What charges does he face?
The suspect, who has been in custody since the shooting on November 19, appeared for a hearing at the El Paso County District Court on Tuesday where the charges against the suspect were read.
The counts include 48 hate crime charges, one for each person known to have been present at the Colorado Springs club during the attack.
He was also charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder — two for each casualty — one of murder with intent and the other of murder with extreme indifference.
The 22-year-old would face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, if convicted of first-degree murder.
District Attorney Michael Allen told reporters on Tuesday that the number of charges underpins how seriously authorities are taking the shooting.
"Obviously when you file 305 counts in a case, that tells the public, this community, this state and this nation that we are taking this case as seriously as we possibly can and we are going to prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law," Allen said.
What has the defense said?
Court-appointed lawyers have said that the suspected gunman identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.
Allen said the suspect being nonbinary was "part of the picture'' in considering hate crime charges but didn't give any further information.
"We are not going to tolerate actions against community members based on their sexual identity,'' the District Attorney said. "Members of that community have been harassed, intimidated and abused for too long.''
At the time of the incident, Aldrich was subdued by two clubgoers with military backgrounds until police arrived.
A two-day preliminary hearing has been slated for February 22 while a full jury trial may not take place until 2024, Allen said.
dvv/rs (AFP,AP, Reuters)