The person suspected of opening fire at a Colorado nightclub popular with gay, lesbian and trans communities is expected to face murder and hate crime charges. Corresponding charges were read out in court in Colorado Springs on Tuesday, according to the public prosecutor’s office. The public prosecutor’s office listed a total of 305 criminal offenses.
The defense lawyers had previously stated that A. was non-binary – that is, it defined itself neither clearly male nor female. A. wanted with “Mx. A.”, the court filings said in a footnote, preferring the pronouns “they/them.”
According to the police, A. (22) entered the club in November with an assault rifle and a handgun and immediately opened fire. According to the police, two people present in the club intervened and stopped A. According to the police, five people were killed and at least 17 others injured in the attack.
“I think the message we sent out is clear. When you report 305 felonies in a case, it shows the public, this community, this state, this country that we take this case as seriously as we can,” said Attorney Michael Allen. He did not specify what specific evidence investigators found to support the hate crime allegation. “We will not tolerate any action taken against members of the community based on their sexual identity,” he said.