COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Anderson Aldrich, who is accused of fatally shooting five people and wounding more than a dozen others at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, will face 305 charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and bias-motivated crime, District Attorney Michael Allen said during the alleged Club Q shooter's first in-person court appearance Tuesday morning.
Aldrich appeared in court wearing a green jumpsuit and handcuffs. Aldrich's facial bruising had significantly healed since a video hearing two weeks ago.
The total list of charges is as follows:
—10 counts of first-degree murder.
—86 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
—86 counts of first-degree assault.
—Four counts of second-degree assault.
—48 counts of bias motivated crime.
—71 counts of violent crime causing death and using a weapon.
Allen said the prosecution may request to amend the charges in the future.
"We are not going to tolerate actions against community members based on their sexual identity," Allen said at a news conference after the hearing. "Members of that community have been harassed and intimated and abused for too long. And that's not going to occur in the 4th Judicial District."
Club Q was described by many as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs.
Judge Michael McHenry, following the filing of charges, granted a request from the prosecution for Aldrich’s arrest affidavit to be unsealed. The court papers should be available to the public by the end of the day Wednesday, McHenry said.
Allen said that while he couldn't talk about what is in the affidavit, he told reporters that it might contain "much less information than you might expect."
Five people were shot and killed, 17 were shot and wounded and five others were injured in a different way during the Nov. 19 attack. Police say Aldrich entered Club Q and shot at the patrons inside for about six minutes before being stopped by two bystanders.
Aldrich will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 22.
One of Aldrich's defense attorneys, Joseph Archambault, objected to holding the preliminary hearing on that date, saying he and his team would not be ready by then to properly represent Aldrich.
"We will not be ready. ... We will not be effective," Archambault told McHenry.
Despite the defense's objection, McHenry opted to schedule the first day of the preliminary hearing for Feb. 22. Allen said he anticipates the hearing will last two full days.
During Aldrich's hearing on Tuesday morning, Archambault referred to his client as "Mx. Aldrich," a designation for people who identify as nonbinary. Allen and the rest of the prosecution team referred to Aldrich as "the defendant" throughout the hearing.
Aldrich will remain in custody at El Paso County jail with no possibility of bond.
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