Suspect in US gay nightclub shooting says he’s non-binary and had a troubled childhood

The lawyers of Anderson-Lee Aldrichthe 22-year-old suspected of murdering five people at a Colorado LGBTQ club, said his client is non-binary before a first court appearance on Wednesday, as details of a chaotic past emerged that includes the breakup of the family and a change of name.

Five dead and 18 wounded was the balance of an armed attack on Saturday in the Club Q in Colorado Springsa quiet city in the northwest of USA.

LOOK: What is known about Anderson Lee Aldrich, the author of the shooting at a gay nightclub in the United States

The slaughter it ended when an Army veteran ripped the gun from the attacker who was arrested.

the suspect Anderson-Lee Aldrich, 22, appeared in a short video in court this Wednesday. Sitting, dressed in the orange prison uniform, he only spoke to confirm his name and that he had been informed of his rights.

No charges or motions were filed.

Aldrich was flanked by two public defenders who said Tuesday in court documents that their client identifies as non-binary and uses the pronoun “they” which is considered neutral in English.

LOOK: Shooting at a Colorado gay nightclub leaves at least 5 dead and 18 injured

aldrich He has not been formally charged, but authorities are holding him in custody on suspicion of murder. According to the judicial system of Coloradoformal charges should not be filed before ten days. Aldrich is being held without bail.

Instability

An image of the complicated personal life of aldrich began to emerge this Wednesday. The suspect would have lived a childhood marked by instability and several moves, and his parents suffered from drug abuse problems.

US media reported that Aldrich came into the world as Nicholas Brink and that his parents separated when he was two years old.

Nicholas changed his name to Anderson Lee Aldrich as a teenager in Texas.

The New York Times newspaper cited court files according to which Aldrich’s father, Aaron Franklin Brink, had been arrested multiple times in California for driving violations and drug problems.

Brink, who describes himself as a conservative Republican who worked as a porn actortold the newspaper in San Diego, California, that Years ago, his ex-wife, Laura Voepel, told him that their son was dead.

It was the information that Brink says he handled until a few months ago he received a call from aldrich which led to a fight, and in which was threatened by Aldrich.

The father acknowledged in the interview that “He had expressed that he strongly disapproved of gays when the boy was little.”

Despite this, the newspaper maintained that Brink expressed his condolences to those impacted by the Colorado Springs shooting.

The New York Times further states that the suspect’s mother laura voepel, he also had problems with the authorities in California for public drunkenness and drug possession.

In 2012, she was sentenced to five years on probation in Texas for setting fire to a bed at a psychiatric institution to which she had been admitted, according to court records cited by the New York Times.

Wednesday’s hearing came less than four days after an armed attack in the Club Q, in Colorado Springsa small town east of the Rocky Mountains.

A memorial was erected with flowers and teddy bears outside the Q club, and a candlelight vigil was held Monday in a downtown park.

In addition to mourning, the community has rallied around praise for the Army veteran. Richard Fierro who was in the club and controlled the attacker.

ironwho was at the club with his wife, said he grabbed the gunman’s gun.

“I don’t know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode” said. “I just knew that I had to kill this person before he killed us.”

“I took the gun out of his hand and started hitting him over the head, over and over again,” he told the New York Times.

The small LGBT+ community in Colorado Springs, with fewer than 500,000 residents, has been in mourning since the tragedy that occurred Saturday night.

Aldrich is due to appear in court on December 6.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.