Anderson Lee Aldrich Returns to Court Over Club Q Shooting

The suspect accused of being the armor-clad shooter who allegedly murdered five people and injured 17 more in a gay nightclub is due in court on Tuesday to learn what charges he will face at trial.

Anderson Lee Aldrich is alleged to have stormed Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and sprayed the venue with bullets after opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle just before midnight on Saturday, November 19.

The 22-year-old is now set to hear what charges prosecutors will pursue during the trial, such as possible hate crime offences, the Associated Press reported.

Investigators allege Aldrich attacked the venue during a drag queen's birthday party and was only stopped when wrestled to the ground by club patrons who beat the attacker into submission.

Booking photos later released by police of Aldrich's mugshots showed vivid purple marks and extensive bruising. Aldrich arrived slumped in a wheelchair during the first appearance at El Paso county court last month.

Aldrich has been held in El Paso county jail on suspicion of five counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of 22-year-old Raymond Green Vance, 28-year-old Daniel Aston, 34-year-old Ashley Paugh, 38-year-old Derrick Rump and 40-year-old Kelly Loving.

But formal charges were scheduled to be laid during a December 6 hearing after District Attorney Michael Allen determined which charges to pursue.

Allen said murder charges would result in the harshest penalties, and so charging Aldrich with hate crimes would not lead to a tougher punishment.

However, he said if evidence showed that the alleged crime was bias-motivated, he would pursue those charges to show "that we support communities that have been maligned, harassed, intimidated and abused."

Aldrich's attorneys have previously said the suspect identifies as non-binary and uses "they/them" pronouns.

However, many fear that the claims are an attempt by Aldrich to "troll" and further distress the LGBTQ community, with commentators pointing out there was no previous evidence of a non-binary identity online.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office booking records stated Aldrich was a male suspect, while Aldrich's parents, who are divorced, have both referred to Aldrich using the male pronouns "he/him" in media interviews.

Aldrich's father shocked many after the shooting, by saying his first "scared" thought on hearing about the sickening attack allegedly perpetrated by his child was, "Oh my God, is he gay?"

Aaron Brink, a 48-year-old mixed martial artist and porn actor, also known as 'Dick Delaware,' told TV station KFMB: "They started telling me about the incident, a shooting... Then I go on to find out it's a gay bar. I was like, 'Oh my God, is he gay?' I got scared, 'S***, is he gay?' And he's not gay, so I was like, 'phew!'"

He added: "I'm a Mormon and I'm a conservative Republican. And we don't do gay, we don't do gay... I'm glad he's not gay."

The deadly Club Q attack came amid an increasingly hostile debate in public discourse about tolerance for LGBTQ rights.

Republican firebrand Lauren Boebert's LGBTQ comments came under the spotlight after the shooting, while a Fox News guest of Tucker Carlson blamed LGBTQ's "evil agenda" for the Colorado nightclub attack.

And the rhetoric has moved to the streets.

Controversial far-right group the Proud Boys crashed a drag show story-time for children in Ohio at the weekend, with counter-protesters from the LGBTQ community also campaigning outside the venue. The demonstrations and associated safety fears lead to the event's cancellation at the last minute.