The suspect in last year's Club Q mass
shooting is expected to plead guilty later this month.
According to the AP, Anderson Lee
Aldrich has agreed to accept a plea deal to state murder and hate
charges. Aldrich may also face federal charges.
The LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado
Springs, Colorado came under attack in November when a lone shooter
opened fire with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle just before
midnight, killing 5 and wounding 17. Patrons at Club Q subdued
Aldrich until the police arrived.
The AP learned about the plea deal from
victims, who are required under state law to be notified.
AP reporters also spoke with Aldrich,
who since their arrest has identified as non-binary.
“Nothing's ever going to bring back
their loved ones,” Aldrich reportedly said. “People are going to
have to live with injury that can't be repaired.”
When asked for a motive, Aldrich
answered that they “don't know.”
“That's why I think it's so hard to
comprehend that it did happen,” they said.
Defense attorneys have argued that
Aldrich was not motivated by hate but was drugged up on cocaine and
medication the Saturday night of the attack.
The AP also reported that prosecutors
have notified survivors of the possible release of the Club Q
surveillance video of the attack following a June 26 hearing.