Anderson Lee Aldrich loaded bullets into a Glock pistol and chugged vodka, ominously warning frightened grandparents not to stand in the way of an elaborate plan to stockpile guns, ammo, body armor and a homemade bomb to become "the next mass killer."
A year and a half before the Colorado Springs gay nightclub shooting that left five dead, the alleged shooter was accused of threatening to kill grandparents if they stood in the way of plans to become “the next mass killer.” Sealed court documents verified by The Associated Press detail Anderson Lee Aldrich’s day of terror in 2021 that also included a bomb threat and a standoff with police. It stands as a glaring missed warning because charges over Aldrich's actions were dropped and there was no effort to seize the person’s weapons under Colorado’s “red flag” law for reasons authorities have yet to explain.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, entered the Club Q gay nightclub on November 19 and opened fire, killing five people and wounding 17 others before an Army veteran wrestled the attacker to the ground.