2021 bomb threat case against Colorado shooting suspect dropped for lack of cooperation
Updated: 5:14 PM EST Dec 8, 2022
thank you everyone for being here this afternoon. I’m Lieutenant Pamela Castro with the carter Springs Police department. I’m the public information officer for the Police department. Just like yesterday. I wanted to start out touching based on some information that we have already shared. Make sure everybody has that information. Hopefully all of you have seen that. We sent out *** news release earlier today with some updated information about the victims in this case. Uh, as of noon today we released that we have five deceased community members. That has not changed since yesterday. We have 17 community members who are injured because of *** gunshot wound. We have one community member who is injured but not because of *** gunshot wound. And we have one community member who was *** victim with no visible injuries. This final area is the area that we expect um, numbers to change. And that’s why we have reached out to the community to all of our media partners uh, to get out there that we know there were more people at the club and we really want to speak to them. They could be victims of *** crime. Uh, and so we’re looking to talk to them and identify them if at all possible. The FBI has been *** great partner through this and they have set up *** tip line for us, anybody with information. If they were um, there they have video, they were driving by, uh, they might know information about the suspect, anything at all, no matter how small or insignificant they believe it might be. Uh, could we please call and let us know about that. That phone number is 1 800 call FBI and they have dedicated people who are there uh, to talk to anybody who calls in today. We’re gonna to um have *** couple of speakers. I want to go through the order of the speakers for you. Again. If the conclusion of this, if there’s any spelling of names that you need, we will be happy to get that to you. The first speaker today will be carter Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez. The second speaker will be carter Springs mayor john Suthers. The third speaker will be colorado fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen and our final speaker will be United States Attorney Cole Finnegan. I also want to acknowledge our law enforcement, fire and medical partners who are present today and have been supporting us and our community from the beginning. They are FBI acting special agent in charge Matt fodder, *** T. F. Denver field division special agent in charge, David? S Booth, carter Springs Fire Department Chief Randy Royal and Penrose Hospital Ceo Patrick sharp at the conclusion of the designated speakers, there will be *** chance to ask questions. The questions will uh be, should be focused on what we are sharing today or what we have previously shared. Please understand that this is an ongoing criminal investigation and out of respect for the judicial process. There are simply things that we just can’t share information on. First up to speak will be Carly Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez, thank you everybody for being here to cover this incredibly important event. Just *** horrific and sad and tragic event today. I just want to talk *** little bit about um some of the victims in this incident. You know too often society loses track of the victims of the sad and tragic events in all the talk about the suspect. We strive to give the victims the dignity and respect that they deserve as well as shine the light of public attention on the victims. Therefore we are identifying them now. Please know that while all of the victims, families have been notified, they are suffering *** horrific loss. So I ask everyone who is listening to keep them in your thoughts and show them the care and heartfelt compassion that they deserve. None of the families want to do media interviews at this time. And I ask everyone to respect their request. We respect all of our community members, including our L. G. B. T. Q. Community. Therefore we will be identifying the victims by how they identified themselves and how their families have loved and identified them. Yeah, the first person I’ll identify is kelly loving kelly’s pronouns, are she her daniel Aston daniel’s pronouns, are he him? Derek ***! Derek Derek’s pronouns, are he him? Ashley paw, that’s P. *** U. G. H. Ashley’s pronouns, are she? Her Raymond Green, Vance Raymond’s pronouns, are he him? I wanted to ensure that every victim, Family members and friends of victims and all of our community members know that our officers and detectives will continue to be diligent and thorough in our work to hold the suspects accountable for these horrendous acts. I also want to reiterate that the Colorado Springs Police Department and that I am standing beside you as we move through and come to *** conclusion in the investigation and seek justice for all of our victims. As I end, I ask that everyone in our community and around the world honor each victim lived. I want to take *** moment of silence to honor those community members who lost *** loved one. Please join me in *** moment of silence. Yeah, thank you. I also want to identify the two heroes who intervened inside of club Q. Their exact actions are part of the investigation. So we can’t discuss the specifics out of respect for the judicial process but with their permission permission, we want to acknowledge their heroic actions. They are thomas James and Richard Fierro again, thank you for being here and covering this incredibly important event and with that I’d like to introduce Mayor john Suthers, thank you chief and good afternoon, thank you for being here as Mayor of Colorado Springs and frankly, on behalf of all the citizens of Cairo Springs, I want to again express our heartful condolences and unwavering support to the victims, their families, the L. G. B. T. Q. Plus community and everyone affected by this tragedy. I had the opportunity before I came here today to talk to Richard Fierro identified as one of the two heroes that subdued uh, the suspect in this case and in my opinion, I think the opinion of everyone involved saved *** lot of lives. Um I won’t talk about, you know the nature of what he told me about the incident, I will just simply talk about. I have never encountered *** person who had engaged in such heroic actions that was so humble about it. He simply said to me, I was trying to protect my family. I would also like to thank our community, the whole Coral Springs community, the whole pikes peak region for the outpouring of support. They’ve shown, I can’t tell you how many people have reached out from the city our region and frankly from across the country expressing their love and support for Coral Springs and the club Q. Community. And speaking of the club Q community, we are joined here today by two co owners of the club Matthew Haines and Nick Guy Zeca, thank you for being here and thank you for the support you’ve shown uh and the cooperation you’ve shown in making sure that you help us reach out to the community and help us serve the ends of justice in this case. *** lot of people are wanting to know how they can help we know that the victims and their families need our immediate and long term support and I want to talk, tell you about the colorado healing fund. That’s *** fun that’s been in existence for some time actually. It was utilized during the boulder tragedy where um, several people were killed in Boulder um, some time ago. Uh, it’s set up to provide *** secure way to donate to victims and family members in incidents such as this and they are ready uh enable and they’ve already uh talked about appropriating money existing in the fund uh to the club, que shooting victims. Um and what I want to emphasize the public is that if you choose to donate through the Colorado healing fund at colorado healing fund dot com, you can be absolutely assured the public your donations are going to the right place now for people needing support during this emotional time. The Colorado Springs Police Department is hosting *** community resource expo to provide our community members with the help they need in navigating the variety of emotions they may be experiencing uh surrounding this event that expo is being held at the University of colorado colorado Springs kevin o’neill cybersecurity and research center at 3 60 50 North Nevada Avenue. Uh it’s open today until seven p.m. And Tuesday and Wednesday from eight a.m. To seven p.m. The expo is providing mental health resources, spiritual support, emotional support, uh animal support, childcare, emergency financial resources, L. G B T Q plus support, meals and other services, basically whatever any person adversely impacted by this incident, whatever their needs are, uh, they can help in supporting their, their needs. Uh, the event is designed to be an inclusive and safe space for all community members to gather grieve and obtain the support they need to cope during this difficult time. Um, if you need this, I’m speaking to the public, please take advantage of this resource. You can find details about both the Colorado healing fund and the community resource expo along with the other resources at Colorado Springs dot gov slash club. Que I’ll repeat that coward springs dot gov. Uh, forward slash club Q. Again, on behalf of the city of Colorado Springs. I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support. We all want to ensure that our community is not defined by this tragedy, but by our response to it. Thank you very much. Now I’ll introduce Michael Allen, the district attorney of the 4th judicial district. Good afternoon everyone. And and again, thank you all for being here. The devastation this violent act has had in our community cannot be measured, but we do know that we will respond to it in *** strong way that we will hold people accountable as we identify um, what charges should be filed in this case. It’s imperative to note that the investigation continues and will likely last for some time, It’s very common in homicide cases that the investigation continues clear up to. And sometimes even during *** trial in front of *** jury and that will likely be the case here. There have been reports in the media and in the public that charges have been filed. That is not true. Um any any case like this. An arrest warrant will be written up that is supported by *** probable cause affidavit and that will be submitted to *** judge for approval of the arrest of *** suspect that has occurred here in this case. Any charges that are associated with an arrest warrant are only preliminary charges. It’s also very customary and it is the case here that the arrest warrant and accompanying pc affidavit is sealed. That is to protect the investigation to make sure that we have *** strong investigation that we have the ability to proceed forward with *** strong prosecution at some point in the coming days, that seal will be lifted and the arrest warrant and pc affidavit will be available to the public and to the media once the case is transferred to us for formal charging, we will review the evidence and then determine final charges. It is also very customary that final charges may be different than what is in the arrest affidavit. Typically there will be more charges in *** case like this when we do formal charging than what is actually listed in the arrest affidavit. So don’t be surprised when you see *** different list of charges when we finally file formal charges with the court. Uh, once the suspect is released from the hospital, uh, we will have *** first appearance scheduled with the court. That should happen in the next couple of days I would guess. Although that is still to be determined by his care providers at the hospital. That appearance will be by video. So he will be in the jail and be appearing by video. We will uh advise the suspect at that time of the arrest charges and his bond status. Uh, he is being held without bond. So he will not have the opportunity to be bonded out within *** few days of that first appearance is when we will return to the courtroom and file the formal charges with the court. Uh, that will again be another bond advisement by the court as well as potential punishments that the suspect will be facing as it relates to the charges that we filed from the D. A’s office. Uh, it’s important to note that we are not going to try this case in the media. We will only share information that we can share and that is not to cause frustration in the community or deprive the media of information that the public absolutely wants. Uh it is to protect that prosecution effort. We have an interest in making sure that any conviction we achieve in *** case like this can withstand the appeal process. So we’ll be very careful about the information that we share, at least as it relates to the D. A’s office. But that obligation that we have ethically extends to the investigation team as well. So oftentimes when, when you ask questions of them and they differ and say that they can’t answer it or because it’s uh, they’re trying to protect the investigation. That’s because my obligation of being tight with the information extends to the investigation team as well. So don’t hold that against them. You can hold that against me. At this point, I would turn it over to U. S. Attorney Cole Finnegan. Thank you. Thank you on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice. We want to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims and to their families and to all those who are part of the awful incidents Roughly 36 hours ago at club Q. We are committed to working with district attorney Michael Allen, Mayor John Suthers, Chief Vasquez, Local Law Enforcement and our federal partners to bring justice to the people who suffered in this instance and to bring justice to those, um, those people who are all involved. This is an awful moment and we pledge on behalf of our office and the Department of Justice that we will work as hard as we can to find justice in this instance. Thank you
Related video above: Colorado Springs police provide update on nightclub shootingAuthorities dropped a 2021 bomb threat case against the suspect in the Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub shooting after family members refused to cooperate, the district attorney said Thursday.El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen also said that Anderson Lee Aldrich tried to reclaim guns that were seized after the threat, but authorities did not return the weapons.Allen spoke hours after a judge unsealed the case, which indicated that Aldrich threatened to kill relatives and to become the “next mass killer” more than a year before the nightclub attack that killed five people.Aldrich’s statements in the case, which was dropped over the summer, had raised questions about whether authorities could have used Colorado’s “red flag” law to seize weapons from the suspect. Judge Robin Chittum said the “profound” public interest in the case outweighed Aldrich’s privacy rights. The judge added that scrutiny of judicial cases is “foundational to our system of government.””The only way for that scrutiny to occur is for this to be unsealed,” she said.Aldrich, 22, was arrested in June 2021 on allegations of making a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of about 10 homes. Aldrich threatened to harm family members and boasted of having bomb-making materials, ammunition and multiple weapons, according to law enforcement documents.Aldrich was booked into jail on suspicion of felony menacing and kidnapping. The case was later dropped, and officials have refused to speak about it, citing a state law that calls for dismissed cases to be sealed.The judge’s order to release the records comes after news organizations, including The Associated Press, sought to unseal the documents, and two days after AP published portions of the sealed documents that were verified with a law enforcement official. The papers detail how Aldrich told frightened grandparents about firearms and bomb-making material in the grandparents’ basement and vowed not to let them interfere with plans for Aldrich to be “the next mass killer” and “go out in a blaze.”Aldrich then pointed a Glock handgun at the grandparents as they pleaded for their lives and said, “You guys die today … I’m loaded and ready.”The documents also detailed how the grandparents fled for their lives and called 911 and how fear of a bomb blast prompted the evacuation of nearby homes.Aldrich — who uses they/them pronouns and is nonbinary, according to their attorneys — holed up in their mother’s home in a standoff with SWAT teams and warned about having armor-piercing rounds and a determination to “go to the end.”Eventually, a barefoot Aldrich came out with hands raised and surrendered.The law enforcement official who confirmed the documents to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk about the papers.Aldrich also was the subject of a tip received by the FBI a day before the bomb threat. Agents closed out the case just weeks later. Under Colorado law, records are automatically sealed when a case is dropped and defendants are not prosecuted, as happened in Aldrich’s 2021 case. Once sealed, officials cannot acknowledge that the records exist, and the process to unseal the documents initially happens behind closed doors with no docket to follow and an unnamed judge.”This is one of the strangest hearings I think I’ve ever had,” Chittum said. “I’m having a hearing about a case that none of us is to recognize.”Chittum ruled despite objections from the suspect’s attorney and mother.Public defender Joseph Archambault argued that while the public has an interest in the case, Aldrich’s right to a fair trial was paramount.”This will make sure there is no presumption of innocence,” Archambault said.During Thursday’s hearing, Aldrich sat at the defense table looking straight ahead or down at times and did not appear to show any reaction when their mother’s lawyer asked that the case remain sealed.An attorney for Aldrich’s mother argued that unsealing the case would increase the likelihood that Laura Voepel would suffer harm harassment, intimidation or retaliation.Aldrich was formally charged Tuesday with 305 criminal counts, including hate crimes and murder, in the Nov. 19 shooting at Club Q, a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in mostly conservative Colorado Springs. Investigators say Aldrich entered just before midnight with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle and began shooting during a drag queen’s birthday celebration. Patrons stopped the killing by wrestling the suspect to the ground and beating Aldrich into submission, witnesses said.Seventeen people suffered gunshot wounds but survived, authorities said.Conviction on the murder charges would carry the harshest penalty — likely life in prison.___Associated Press writers Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Bernard Condon in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report. Bedayn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Related video above: Colorado Springs police provide update on nightclub shooting
Authorities dropped a 2021 bomb threat case against the suspect in the Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub shooting after family members refused to cooperate, the district attorney said Thursday.
El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen also said that Anderson Lee Aldrich tried to reclaim guns that were seized after the threat, but authorities did not return the weapons.
Allen spoke hours after a judge unsealed the case, which indicated that Aldrich threatened to kill relatives and to become the “next mass killer” more than a year before the nightclub attack that killed five people.
Aldrich’s statements in the case, which was dropped over the summer, had raised questions about whether authorities could have used Colorado’s “red flag” law to seize weapons from the suspect.
Judge Robin Chittum said the “profound” public interest in the case outweighed Aldrich’s privacy rights. The judge added that scrutiny of judicial cases is “foundational to our system of government.”
“The only way for that scrutiny to occur is for this to be unsealed,” she said.
Aldrich, 22, was arrested in June 2021 on allegations of making a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of about 10 homes. Aldrich threatened to harm family members and boasted of having bomb-making materials, ammunition and multiple weapons, according to law enforcement documents.
Aldrich was booked into jail on suspicion of felony menacing and kidnapping. The case was later dropped, and officials have refused to speak about it, citing a state law that calls for dismissed cases to be sealed.
The judge’s order to release the records comes after news organizations, including The Associated Press, sought to unseal the documents, and two days after AP published portions of the sealed documents that were verified with a law enforcement official.
The papers detail how Aldrich told frightened grandparents about firearms and bomb-making material in the grandparents’ basement and vowed not to let them interfere with plans for Aldrich to be “the next mass killer” and “go out in a blaze.”
Aldrich then pointed a Glock handgun at the grandparents as they pleaded for their lives and said, “You guys die today … I’m loaded and ready.”
The documents also detailed how the grandparents fled for their lives and called 911 and how fear of a bomb blast prompted the evacuation of nearby homes.
Aldrich — who uses they/them pronouns and is nonbinary, according to their attorneys — holed up in their mother’s home in a standoff with SWAT teams and warned about having armor-piercing rounds and a determination to “go to the end.”
Eventually, a barefoot Aldrich came out with hands raised and surrendered.
The law enforcement official who confirmed the documents to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to talk about the papers.
Aldrich also was the subject of a tip received by the FBI a day before the bomb threat. Agents closed out the case just weeks later.
Under Colorado law, records are automatically sealed when a case is dropped and defendants are not prosecuted, as happened in Aldrich’s 2021 case. Once sealed, officials cannot acknowledge that the records exist, and the process to unseal the documents initially happens behind closed doors with no docket to follow and an unnamed judge.
“This is one of the strangest hearings I think I’ve ever had,” Chittum said. “I’m having a hearing about a case that none of us is to recognize.”
Chittum ruled despite objections from the suspect’s attorney and mother.
Public defender Joseph Archambault argued that while the public has an interest in the case, Aldrich’s right to a fair trial was paramount.
“This will make sure there is no presumption of innocence,” Archambault said.
During Thursday’s hearing, Aldrich sat at the defense table looking straight ahead or down at times and did not appear to show any reaction when their mother’s lawyer asked that the case remain sealed.
An attorney for Aldrich’s mother argued that unsealing the case would increase the likelihood that Laura Voepel would suffer harm harassment, intimidation or retaliation.
Aldrich was formally charged Tuesday with 305 criminal counts, including hate crimes and murder, in the Nov. 19 shooting at Club Q, a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in mostly conservative Colorado Springs.
Investigators say Aldrich entered just before midnight with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle and began shooting during a drag queen’s birthday celebration. Patrons stopped the killing by wrestling the suspect to the ground and beating Aldrich into submission, witnesses said.
Seventeen people suffered gunshot wounds but survived, authorities said.
Conviction on the murder charges would carry the harshest penalty — likely life in prison.
___
Associated Press writers Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Bernard Condon in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report. Bedayn is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
