This blog originally appeared at Huff Post.

Five people, Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump, were killed at the gay bar in November 2022.

click here to watch the video: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colorado-springs-gay-bar-shooter-guilty_n_6495b8f0e4b007604cf8b4dc

Anderson Lee Aldrich, the shooter responsible for the tragic incident at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges. On Monday, Aldrich admitted to five counts of murder, 46 counts of attempted murder, and two counts of bias-motivated crime. As part of a deal with prosecutors, the 23-year-old will serve life in prison for the Club Q shooting. The attack occurred during a drag show on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance in November 2022. Aldrich originally faced over 300 charges, including murder and hate crimes, related to this horrific mass shooting.

According to the criminal complaint, Aldrich entered Club Q wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with an AR-style rifle and handgun before firing into the crowd, killing Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump.

The court moved to sentencing procedures immediately following Aldrich’s guilty plea, and survivors and loved ones of the victims shared how their lives were forever changed that night.

Vance’s mother, Adriana Vance, begged the judge to hand down a brutal sentence as she grieved the death of her son. She called Vance a kind, loving and gentle man who touched the lives of those who surrounded him.

“This man doesn’t deserve to go on,” she said of Aldrich. “What matters now is that he never sees the sunrise or a sunset.”

Wyatt Kent, a drag performer who was celebrating his 23rd birthday on the night of the shooting, survived but lost his partner, Daniel Aston. Kent stood in front of Aldrich and the judge to express his forgiveness. He added that he lost his sense of safety with the shooting.

“I forgive this individual as they are a symbol of a broken system of hate and vitriol pushed against us as a community,” Kent said. “It is inexcusable the action and the pain and trauma and holes that have been created from this tragic evening.”

click here to see full blog: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/colorado-springs-gay-bar-shooter-guilty_n_6495b8f0e4b007604cf8b4dc