Ashtin Gamblin was working the door at Club Q last November, wearing a hoodie, when she let in a huge, 6’4” patron for that Saturday night’s festivities in the hopping Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ hotspot. She joked as she struggled with the wristband for Anderson Lee Aldrich before all 280 pounds of the 22-year-old disappeared into the crowd, where families, friends and lovers gathered happily to celebrate birthdays and enjoy a drag performance.
Aldrich walked among them, watching as they socialised, Club Q’s beloved bartenders serving up drinks and banter amidst the merriment and music. Ashtin had become close with her coworkers, particularly bar staff Daniel Aston, 28, and Derrick Rump, 38, who were working that night alongside Michael Anderson. The next time Ashtin would see Aldrich’s lumbering figure, bullets would be tearing through her body, despite Daniel’s valiant efforts to save her by standing between Ashtin and the shooter. As Aldrich continued the relentless attack, Ashtin covered herself in her friend’s blood and buried her head into his body, playing dead. She thought about the school massacre in Uvalde.
