Raymond Green Vance

Raymond Green Vance was a kind and selfless 22-year-old Black man with his entire life ahead of him. A 2018 graduate of Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he was remembered by his mother as a popular and well-liked young man who never got into trouble. Friends described him as gifted and willing to go out of his way to help anyone. Vance had recently started a new job at a FedEx distribution center and was thrilled to receive his first paycheck, saving up to get his own apartment. He spent most of his free time playing video games, a hobby he hoped to turn into an online career, and with his longtime girlfriend, Kassy Fierro, whom he had dated since middle school.

On the night of November 19, 2022, Vance went to Club Q, an LGBTQ+ nightclub, for the first time. He was with his girlfriend, her parents, and their friends to celebrate a birthday. Though not a member of the LGBTQ community himself, Vance was a supportive ally. The night of celebration turned to horror just before midnight when a gunman entered the club and opened fire. The attack killed five people, including Vance, and injured at least 18 others.

The shooting rampage was stopped by two patrons who heroically intervened. One of them was Richard Fierro, the father of Vance’s girlfriend. Fierro, an Army veteran, tackled and disarmed the gunman, beating him with his own handgun until police arrived. He later said that when the shooting started, Vance grabbed his daughter and got her to safety, saving her life.

The shooter was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was 22 at the time. Aldrich was taken into custody at the scene and subsequently faced multiple charges, including first-degree murder and bias-motivated crimes.

In June 2023, Anderson Lee Aldrich pleaded guilty to the murders. A judge sentenced Aldrich to consecutive life terms in prison, one for each person killed, ensuring they would spend the rest of their life behind bars. As of that month, the case was considered closed.