Grandfather of Colorado gay bar shooter 'is MAGA California lawmaker who hailed January 6 riots'
Grandfather of 'Colorado gay bar mass-shooter' is MAGA California lawmaker who hailed January 6 riots, as it's claimed 'killer' evaded red flag law despite threatening mom with bomb
, updated
- Authorities have named Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, as the lone suspect in the deadly shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday
- Aldrich’s grandfather is allegedly Randy Voepel, a Republican state lawmaker in the California State Assembly
- Voepel compared the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol to the Revolutionary War - Voepel lost his seat to a challenger in the midterm elections
- Aldrich’s mother, Laura Voepel told police her son threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons last June
- Aldrich was charged with two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, but the charges were later dropped and records sealed
- Incident raises questions about Colorado’s red flag law, which empowers authorities to temporarily seize firearms from those deemed a potential threat
- On Sunday, details of some of the five who lost their lives and 25 who were injured were released including two bar tenders who were killed
The grandfather of the man alleged to be behind the mass-shooting at a Colorado gay bar this weekend has been named as a MAGA Republican lawmaker who praised the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol last year.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is accused of killing five people and injuring 25 more at Club Q.
Posts on social media posts made under Aldrich's mother's name, Laura Voepel, have linked him to former Republican California state assembly member Randy Voepel - claiming he is his grandfather, reports The Guardian.
Confirmed photos of Aldrich himself have yet to emerge, and no mugshot has been released.
Following the attack on the Capitol, Voepel hailed the rioters comparing their actions to that of American Revolutionaries.
'This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear in on January 20th,' Voepel said.
Voepel, as a member of the California State Assembly from the 71st district represented most of inland San Diego County and part of Riverside County, but he lost his seat to a primary challenger in August. He later tweeted that he 'condemned violence and lawlessness.'
The former mayor of Santee, California at one point left the Republican party for the tea party movement because he deemed the GOP too 'liberal.'
Later on Sunday, two bartenders killed in the deadly mass shooting at a LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs were pictured - hours after police confirmed the arrest of Aldrich, whose mugshot has not yet been released.
Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston were among the five killed Saturday night at Club Q in what appeared to be a premediated attack, carried out by a single gunman armed with an AR-15.
Both men worked as bartenders at the establishment and are so far the only two named victims of the attack - which occurred on the eve of The Transgender Day of Remembrance, at 11:57pm. Aston, 28, was a trans man.
Pictures of others caught up and injured during the shooting have also been emerging including Charlene and James Slaugh.
Charlene was shot in the abdomen and suffered a collapsed lung after suffering 13 wounds caused by an unknown number of bullets. She is fighting for her life having undergone the first of what is likely to be numerous surgeries, with a long road to recovery ahead.
On Sunday night her mother reported her being on a ventilator but in stable condition.
James was shot in the shoulder and is expected to recover following shoulder surgery on Sunday. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help pay their medical bills.
His partner was shot in the leg and is also expected to fully recover. James and his partner met at Club Q and had always considered it a safe space.
Tara Bush, aka DJ T-Beatz, who is one of the dozens of injured victims in the nightclub shooting.
Bush is currently still in the hospital, ABC News reported.
As investigators attempted to piece together what led to the tragedy, on Sunday it also emerged how last June, Aldrich, had been accused of threatening to blow up his mother's home with a makeshift bomb.
Luckily his mother, Laura, was able to escape and alerted police while driving to safety away from her Colorado Springs home.
Officers found Aldrich who was seen walking out on the street about one mile from the house. He ignored police orders and managed to evade the arrest.
There was finally a stand-off between police officers and the bomb squad at the home before Aldrich walked out and surrendered after an hour of negotiations.
When the bomb squad went into the residence they were unable to find any explosives.
He was arrested and charged with two felony menacing charges after the police had to evacuate all the residents within quarter mile radius of the home, leading to the entire neighborhood having to be evacuated.
The charges were later dropped and the records were sealed.
The incident has raised questions about Colorado’s red flag law, which empowers authorities to temporarily seize firearms from an individual determined as a potential threat to the community.
His own mother, Laura Voepel is believed to have posted requests for help on Facebook including trauma and PTSD therapist together with recommendations for a boxing coach.
PICTURED: Two bartenders among five killed and 25 wounded in mass shooting at gay club by suspect brandishing an AR-15 who was known to authorities after bomb threat last year: FBI join probe and police mull hate crime charges
The shooting is now being investigated as a hate crime - with sole suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, currently in police custody.
Police have also revealed that Aldrich was subdued by at least two heroic patrons who confronted him during the mayhem, and are credited with saving lives. At least five were confirmed Sunday to be among the dead, with a further 25 injured.
As cops look to glean a motive for the tragedy, relatives and members of the LGBTQ community affected by the horrors have offered heartfelt tributes for those slain - with Rump and Aston the first to be named.
Aldrich, meanwhile, remains in custody at a local hospital for unknown injuries. He was previously arrested in June 2021 for a bomb threat but was never formally charged. It is not clear when he was apprehended by lawmen.
A worker at Club Qu, which is billed as a 'happening gay nightclub' on its website, paid tribute to his two slain colleagues Sunday, sharing a picture of Rump and Aston to Facebook.
The post featured a photo of the pair behind Club Q's bar, as well as an accompanying caption mourning the loss.
'My boys are gone,' the tribute read. 'Plz (sic) take care of each other. I love you both so much.'
A friend of Rump also posted a tribute to his late friend, who, like Aston, was a member of the local LGBTQ community.
'Two beautiful souls were taken from us last night,' the poster wrote, adding that while he did not know Aston well, 'both [would] be missed.'
The poster would go on to paint a picture of Rump from accounts of those who knew him, describing him as 'an amazing person with a big heart.'
They went on to cite how Rump, again, like Aston, was 'active in the local LGBTQ community' and 'loved by some of my friends.'
'My heart hurts for them,' the mourner wrote, before going on to offer a tribute to Aston, a trans man who recently moved to Colorado from his native Oklahoma and had since blossomed into a beloved stalwart of the local gay and trans communities.
'Derrick, you always treated me so sweetly and brightened up my days when I'd come out and see you at the Club,' the poster remembered, writing that Aston 'always made sure I was taken care of and not just as a bar patron.
'As a friend. I'll miss you and your smile that could light up the darkest of your rooms, and your laugh that rubbed off on everyone around you. Love you always. RIP to them both.'
Aston's mother, Sabrina Aston, described her son to ABC News as the youngest of their family, who was able to make friends quickly after moving because of his magnetic personality. According to his social media, the 28-year-old had his top surgery in 2021.
Another friend remembered both men fondly as 'two of the sweetest souls I have ever met.'
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