5 dead in shooting at gay nightclub in Colorado Springs

A shooting
took place at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs on Saturday night. At least five
people have died and 18 injured in the shooting, police said. 911 alerts
started coming in at 11:57 pm and police initiated a response, according to
Colorado Springs Police Lieutenant Pamela Castro. “They did locate one
individual who we believe to be the suspect inside,” Castro said.

“At this
time, the suspect is being treated, but in custody.” The police lieutenant did
not mention if the suspect had been counted among the injured. Cops have also
kept mum about a possible motive.

A fire
official told CNN that 11 ambulances reached the spot after multiple 911 calls
were made.

“We will be
here for many, many hours to come,” said Castro adding that the FBI is at the
scene and investigating.

Club Q, the
gay nightclub, issued a statement saying it was “devastated by the senseless
attack” and offered condolences to victims and their families.

“We thank
the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this
hate attack,” the statement read.

Lieutenant
Castro said this was not an officer-involved shooting.

This is not
the first time a gay nightclub in the United States has been target of a mass
shooting episode. On July 12, 2016, a 29-year-old man named Omar Mateen opened
fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people were
killed and 53 injured.

Mateen, the
shooter, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and
said that the US killing of Abu Waheeb the previous month had triggered the
shooting.

The FBI
deemed the Orlando nightclub shooting a terrorist attack.