The 22-year-old suspect who allegedly killed five and wounded 17 others after opening fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado last week identifies as non-binary and uses They/Them pronouns, according to court documents.
New York Times reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs obtained a new court filing Tuesday night showing public defenders referring to their client as Mx.
The alleged gunman, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy about not giving notoriety to mass killers, opened fire inside Club Q in Colorado Springs. The club is described online as an “adult-oriented gay and lesbian nightclub hosting theme nights such as karaoke, drag shows & DJs.”
Police said the suspected gunman entered the venue with a long rifle and immediately began shooting. At least two patrons inside the club confronted and stopped the shooter, authorities said.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said, “their actions clearly saved lives,” while Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez described them as “heroic.”
Local media reports that authorities said the shooter faces five counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and five counts of a bias-motivated crime that caused bodily injury.
Prosecutors suggest the shooting is considered a hate crime based on the bias-motivated crime charge.
The Associated Press reports that the alleged gunman changed his name just before turning 16 after filing a legal petition in Texas, saying he wanted to “protect himself” from a father with a criminal history, including alleged domestic violence against the suspect’s mother.
The suspect’s father was a mixed martial arts fighter and pornography performer with a long criminal history, including convictions for battery against the alleged shooter’s mother, according to The Associated Press.
The father served two and a half years in custody for importing marijuana and later violated his conditions while on supervised release by testing positive for illegal steroids, according to public records obtained by The Associated Press.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office arrested and booked the gunman in June 2021 on two counts of felony menacing and three first-degree kidnapping charges in connection to a bomb threat, leading to a standoff at his mother’s home in Colorado Springs.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a report by the shooter’s mother alleging he was “threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition.” Authorities did not find any explosives in the home.
Howard Black, a spokesman for the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, declined to comment to NPR on whether any charges were pursued.
Left-wing corporate media pundits and politicians have attempted to link the mass shooting last weekend to those who oppose progressive social agendas in the United States.