Police have released the names of the five people killed at Club Q in Colorado Springs. They were shot by a gunman who attacked the club at midnight on Saturday evening.
Twenty two year old man Anderson Lee Aldrich was arrested at the scene after he was disarmed by two people who tackled him to the ground. He was armed with a long rifle and an additional firearm.
In announcing the victims identities police said they would use the names and pronouns that the victims and their families used. They people killed were (in clockwise direction on image) Kelly Loving (she/her), Raymond Green Vance (he/him), Derrick Rump (he/him), Daniel Aston (he/him), and Ashley Paugh (she/her).
Seventeen other people were also injured with gunshot wounds, while other community member sustained a non-gunshot injury, and an additional person was treated at the hospital but not have any visible injuries.
Police also identified the two people who heroically took down the gunman inside the club and held him until police arrived. They are Thomas James* and Richard Fierro.
Retired army major tackled the gunman, subduing him with assistance
Speaking to the New York Times, Fierro has shared that he had been visiting the club for the first time. He had accompanied his wife Jess, his daughter Kassandra and her boyfriend, along with some family friends, to watch some of his daughter’s friends from high school perform in the club’s drag show.
The former Army Major who had spent 15 years in armed forces and served on four missions to Iraq and Afghanistan said he switched into “combat mode” when he realised what was occurring. He charged through the chaos of the club and tackled the shooter.
“I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us.” Fierro said, describing how he grabbed the Aldrich by a handle on the back of the body armour he was wearing. While the gunman lost his rifle in the tackle, Fierro saw him raise a pistol in his other hand. He grabbed the hand gun from the assailant and repetitively hit him in the head with the weapon.
Using a string of expletives, he ordered nearby clubber to grab the rifle. Fierro ordered them to stomp on the assailant with their high heels. When the attacker was subdued, he rose and turned to search for his family and friends.
He found his friends on the floor, one had been shot several times in the chest and arm, another had a bullet wound to their leg. He called out to police that the scene was clear and medics were urgently needed. He recounts that he saw his daughter and wife at the edge of the room, and was moving towards them when police tackled him.
As they entered the room they saw him as a man covered in blood, holding a handgun. They weren’t taking any chances. He was held in a police van, but later released when police established he was the hero of the situation. He traveled to the hospital with his wife and daughter who sustained minor injuries. They were unable to locate his daughter’s boyfriend. Later they discovered he had been killed, he was was Raymond Green Vance.
Raymond Green Vance
Raymond Green Vance’s family has shared that this was the 22-year-old’s first trip to Club Q, and while he was not a member of the LGBTQ community, he was supportive of it.
“Raymond was the victim of a man who unleashed terror on innocent people out with family and friends. His own family and friends are completely devastated by the sudden loss of a son, grandson, brother, nephew, and cousin loved by so many.” his family said.
Kelly Loving
Kelly Loving’s family have remembered her as a kind a loving person. Her sister Tiffany said the 40-year-old transgender woman was incredibly kind.
“She was loving, always trying to help the next person out instead of thinking of herself. She just was a caring person,” she told the Times. “I was really close with her.”
Friends have recalled that Kelly was always helping other transgender people find their place in the world and offering support and advice.
Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston
Daniel Aston, a trans man, was the popular bar supervisor at Club Q, as was bartender Derrick Rump.
Their colleague Michael Anderson, who witnessed the attack on Saturday night, told CNN’s Don Lemon what he’d experienced.
“I was working behind the bar on a seemingly normal Saturday night and then around 11:55pm I heard a few popping sounds, and at first I thought it might be one of the clacking fans that you see often at LGBT clubs, and when I looked up I quickly saw that it was not the case. I saw the outline of a male holding a rifle at the entrance of the club, just probably about 15 feet from me, and then it took a moment to register what was happening.”
“When it hit me this was actually happening in real life to me and my friends i ducked behind the bar, and as I did that glass began to spew everywhere all around me.” Anderson said.
“I’ve known Daniel Aston for a few years now, he’s always been a friend to me, he was my supervisor, he was the bar supervisor, and he was the best supervisor anybody coud have asked for. He made me want to come in for work, and he made me want to be a part of the positive culture we were trying to create.
“He was an amazing person, he was a light in my life, and it’s still surreal that we’re even talking about him in the past tense.” Anderson said.
Daniel Aston’s parent’s have spoken about their 28-year-old son, saying he always knew he was a boy, even from a young age. They’ve shared how Daniel found an accepting community in the club where he supervised the bar, but also delivered memorable drag performances.
Derrick Rump has been described as the “heart and soul” of the venue with patrons recalling his love of playing Britney Spears so loud it could be heard in the parking lot. Friends have recalled his generosity, sharing that he bought groceries for many of the club’s performers when they couldn’t work because of the Covid pandemic.
A few years ago Ashton and Rump introduced a practice at the club where they stopped referring to patrons as ‘guys or girls’ to avoid accidentally misgendering people. Instead they began welcoming people as “Hey friend.”
Ashley Paugh
Ashley Paugh worked in foster care, often encouraging members of the LGBTIQA+ communities to consider becoming foster carers. Her husband has shared their families thoughts in a statement.
“We’re absolutely devastated by the loss of Ashley,” the statement read. “She meant everything to this family, and we can’t even begin to understand what it will mean to not have her in our lives.”
Kurt Paugh said his wife, who was his high school sweetheart was a loving wife and amazing mother.
“She loved her dad, her sister, and her family; Ashley was a loving aunt, with many nieces and nephews who are devastated by her loss,” he said.
OIP Staff
*Update 23-11-22 7:00am The names of people included in this report come from the official media information from the Colorado Springs Police Department. In all their media briefings the police have highlighted that they are using the names and genders that victims use.
We are aware that there has also been a comment on social media highlighting that one the heroes of the incident, identified by police as Thomas James, and described by Richard Fierro in his interview with The New York Times as a drag performer, is not a drag performer, but a transgender woman.
At OUTinPerth we are committed to accuracy and respect people’s gender identity. We would never intentionally use someone’s ‘dead name’. We also committed to ensuring information we share is from the most verifiable sources. As more information becomes publicly available, we will continue to update our reports.
We respect that people involved in the traumatic incident need privacy and time to grieve, and authorities are focused on ensuring that the case is investigated properly.
Update 28-11-22 8:00pm Thomas James has today released a short statement and confirmed he stopped the gunman getting his rifle after he was tackled by Richard Fiero. It appears that he is a different person to the individual described by Fierro in his New York Times interview. The identity of the third person remains unknown at this time.
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