Photo: Chet Strange / Getty Images
The suspected shooter facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub was held without bail at an initial court appearance on Wednesday.
You could see Anderson Lee Aldrich, of 22 years old, slumped in a chair with visible injuries to his face and head in a brief video appearance from jail. Aldrich appeared to need help from defense attorneys and offered a confused response when asked by El Paso County Court Judge Charlotte Ankeny for her name.
Suspect was beaten by customers during Saturday night shooting at Club Q and released from the hospital on Tuesday. The motive for the shooting was still under investigation, but authorities said he faces possible murder and hate crime charges.
Hate crime charges would require proof that the shooter was motivated by bias, such as the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the victims.
The charges against Aldrich are preliminary and prosecutors have yet to file formal charges. Aldrich is represented by Joseph Archambault, Deputy Chief Trial Officer for the State Public Defender’s Office.
The judge set the next hearing for December 6.
Aldrich’s name was changed more than six years ago as a teenager, after filing a legal petition in Texas to “protect” himself from a father with a criminal record, including domestic violence against Aldrich’s mother.
Aldrich was known as Nicholas Franklin Brink until 2016. Weeks before his 22 birthday, Aldrich petitioned a Texas court for a name change, according to court records show.
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