Derrick Rump, a 38-year-old male, was behind the bar at Club Q, a well-known LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, during the early morning hours of November 20, 2022. He was not just a bartender but also a co-owner of the establishment, a place considered a sanctuary by the local LGBTQ+ community. That sense of safety was shattered when a lone gunman entered the club and began shooting, turning a night of camaraderie and celebration into a scene of terror and tragedy.
Rump was one of five people who lost their lives in the attack.
The gunman, identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, was armed with a rifle and a handgun. Aldrich moved through the club, firing indiscriminately at patrons and employees. The attack was swift and brutal, leaving five dead and many others wounded. The rampage was halted by the heroic actions of two patrons who managed to subdue Aldrich until law enforcement arrived.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Aldrich was taken into custody and faced a multitude of charges. The investigation quickly pointed to the shooting being a hate-motivated crime, targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Evidence emerged that Aldrich had previously expressed anti-gay and racist sentiments online. During legal proceedings, it was revealed that Aldrich had run a neo-Nazi website.
Aldrich initially faced over 300 state charges, including first-degree murder and hate crimes. In June 2023, Aldrich pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder. As part of a plea agreement, Aldrich was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences plus an additional 2,208 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Subsequently, federal charges were also brought against Aldrich. In June 2024, Aldrich pleaded guilty to 74 federal hate crime and weapons charges, resulting in an additional 55 concurrent life sentences plus 190 years in prison. By pleading guilty, Aldrich admitted that the attack was motivated by the actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity of the victims.
