Club Q shooting suspect makes first court appearance

The suspect accused of killing five people and injuring 18 others in Saturday’s mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was hospitalized following the incident after being confronted and beaten by club patrons, was released from the hospital Tuesday and transferred to the custody of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

Aldrich, who was arrested on suspicion of five counts of first-degree murder and “bias-motivated crime” but has not yet been formally charged, appeared via video conference for an advisement hearing in El Paso County District Court.

In court filings Tuesday, state public defenders representing Aldrich wrote that their client is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. The Washington Post reported that Aldrich was formerly known as Nicholas Brink and successfully petitioned for a legal name change in Texas at the age of 15.

During the five-minute hearing before Judge Charlotte Ankeny, Aldrich appeared slumped over and bruised in an ill-fitting jail jumpsuit, and needed prompting from their attorneys to answer basic questions from the court.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said formal charges would be filed within 10 days of Wednesday’s advisement hearing. The arrest warrant and probable cause affidavit in the case — as well as documents pertaining to a 2021 incident in which Aldrich was arrested after allegedly threatening a family member with guns and homemade explosives — remain under seal.

Aldrich is being held without bond. Ankeny tentatively scheduled the next hearing in the case for Dec. 6, but Aldrich’s attorneys said they will petition the court to move the hearing to an earlier date due to a scheduling conflict.