Colorado governor signs off one of toughest tightening of gun laws in state’s history
COLORADO SPRINGS, NOVEMBER 2022, 5 KILLED, 19 WOUNDED
Aldrich, pictured in a sketch on Nov. 23, is accused of killing five people in a shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub
Five people were slaughtered and dozens injured at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs after a gunman opened fire with an AR-15 style rifle.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, the non-binary 22-year-old accused of the shooting, ran a neo-Nazi website and used gay and racist slurs while gaming online, police said.
He also posted an image of a riflescope trained at a gay pride parade and used a bigoted slur when referring to someone who was gay, Detective Rebecca Joines said.
scanning technology showed that Aldrich had been at the club at least six times before the shooting
According to authorities, Aldrich went to the club on the night of the shooting, left, and then returned. Surveillance video showed Aldrich entering the club in a red T-shirt and tan ballistic vest while holding an AR rifle, with six magazines for the weapon and a handgun visible, Police Detective Jason Gasper said. Shortly after entering, Aldrich reportedly opened fire indiscriminately.
The firing was stopped when Navy information systems technician Thomas James grabbed the barrel of Aldrich’s rifle and burned his hand to the point that it was so hot.
In Aldrich’s apartment, investigators found gun-making materials, receipts for guns, and a drawing of the club.
It was also revealed that the rifle and pistol used in the attack appeared to be ghost weapons.
Defense attorneys also first brought up Aldrich’s mental health at a hearing in February, with pictures of pill bottles for medications Aldrich had prescribed to treat mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and PTSD. But the defense did not say whether Aldrich had been formally diagnosed with any of those mental illnesses.
DENVER, DECEMBER 2021, 5 KILLED, 2 INJURED
McLeod, 47, owned a tattoo parlor in Denver until 2017. Then he moved to a converted sea container
A former tattoo parlor owner with a history of extremist views and psychiatric episodes shot and killed five people in Denver before being shot dead by officers at the end of his rampage.
Lyndon McLeod, 47, targeted several tattoo parlors and three of his five victims worked in the industry.
Police said they believe McLeod targeted the people he shot in the tattoo parlors, although they have not released a motive.
Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said McLeod had been on law enforcement’s radar during two recent investigations — one in 2020 and one in 2021 — but neither resulted in charges.
Police said McLeod fired shots at six locations in Denver and the nearby suburb of Lakewood.
His rampage killed five people and wounded three others – including a police officer – before he was shot dead.
McLeod sold his home five years ago to a man who said the property was full of gun safes.
KING SOOPERS SUPERMARKET, BOULDER, MARCH 2021, 10 DEAD
State experts have concluded that suspected mass shooter Ahmad Alissa, pictured in court on September 7, suffers from mental illness and is unable to stand trial
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 23, is accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in the college town of Boulder.
Customers, workers and a police officer who rushed in to stop the attack were massacred.
Alissa, who lived in the nearby suburb of Arvada, surrendered after another officer shot and wounded him, authorities said.
Alissa is charged with murder and multiple attempted murders also count for endangering the lives of 26 other people. He has not yet been asked to enter a plea and his lawyers have not commented on the allegations.
Investigators have not revealed a possible motive. They said that six days before the shooting, Alissa passed a background check to legally purchase a Ruger AR-556 handgun.
At a hearing in February, his lawyers confirmed he has schizophrenia, with an expert finding he was “near catatonia” before being transferred to the state’s psychiatric facility for treatment.
WALMART IN THORNTON, NOVEMBER 2017, 3 DEAD
Scott Allen Ostrem, 48, admitted to shooting three people at a Walmart near Denver
Scott Allen Ostrem, 48, admitted to fatally shooting three people at a Denver-area Walmart under a deal that allowed him to avoid execution.
Ostrem walked into the crowded Walmart with a gun on Nov. 1, 2017, and killed the three people as they stood in a checkout counter, police said.
No one else was hit by gunfire.
Ostrem fled the store and was arrested outside his apartment the next day after police identified him and his car from footage captured by security cameras.
No motive for the shootings was ever presented in court.