A gunman shot and killed five people and injured another 18 at a gay club in Colorado Springs.
Shocking footage posted on Twitter showed a heavy police presence outside Club Q, as well as ambulances lining the streets outside. Cops have not yet confirmed which firearm the suspect used in the attack, but initial reports suggested he may have shot victims with a sniper rifle.
The extent of the survivor's injuries have not yet been revealed .
The attack happened on Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day which was set-up to remember anyone murdered as a result of transphobia.
The club's bartender, who goes by Michael Anderson on social media, exclusively told the Mirror about the horrors he witnessed as the shooter rampaged through the club.
He said: "I was afraid I was going to die. I was preparing to get shot when the shots then stopped. After a minute or two I wasn’t sure if it was over or not, so I got up and decided to make a run for it. I found a man lying on the floor being shot in the neck."
Gaby Lamah, 32, has been visiting the club since she was 19.
She said she and friends made "a last minute decision" not to visit the venue last night.
Gaby said Club Q is one of a limited number of nightclubs catering for the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs.
She added: "Club Q has always been a calm, loving energy".
Gaby said she felt heartbroken after hearing the news, adding: "Angry. Heartbroken. I’m not sure I could back there and not be anxious the entire time.
"It feels like our world is going backwards instead of forwards."
In 2016, a gunman stormed Orlando Pulse nightclub and killed 50 people and injured at least 53 others.
The 'lone' attacker, identified as Omar Mateen, 29, entered the gay club shortly before 2am local time (6am GMT), where hundreds of revellers were partying.
Armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, he then took terrified victims hostage before opening fire, showering the venue in a hail of bullets.
Among those killed were Edward Sotomayor Jr, Stanley Almodovar III, Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, Juan Ramon Guerrero, Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera and Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz.
And earlier this year, two people were killed an 20 injured when another gunman opened fire by a gay nightclub in Oslo city centre in an incident investigated as a possible terrorist attack.
Emergency services rushed to the "London Pub" in Oslo city centre in Norway after receiving reports of gunfire around 1.15am.
Terrified witnesses ran for shelter with as many as 20 shots fired in the street by the nightclub as one reveller described how she "played dead" as "total panic" broke out.
Police confirmed they are investigating the shooting as a "terrorist attack" as they arrested one man, who is known to police for violent offences of a less severe nature.
The suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, was detained minutes after, according to police who said they believed he acted alone.
He was charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts and is believed to be a radicalised Islamist with a history of mental illness who had been known to intelligence services since 2015.
Two firearms have been recovered and there are three active crime scenes, as police told reporters they believe there was just one attacker, but they have not ruled out more.
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