Survivors of LGBTQ+ club shooting say the deaths and trauma could've been avoided in lawsuits

DENVER (AP) — Adriana Vance collected herself in front of the cameras, two years to the day after her son was killed in the mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, a murder that lawsuits allege could have been prevented by law enforcement and the club's owners.

The two lawsuits, formally announced at a press conference Tuesday, target Club Q's owners for not having enough security, and the El Paso County commissioners and the former sheriff for not using the state's red flag law after clear warning signs that the shooter intended to commit violence.

One of the club's owners has denied the claims, and El Paso County has declined to comment.

Anderson Aldrich killed five people at the club, including Vance's 22-year-old son. But the mother couldn't bring herself to accept her son's death in the shooting's wake.

“They have someone else's son, they don’t have my Raymond," Vance said she told herself, pausing to push down tears. “My Raymond, he’s going to call.”

Then he was lying in the coffin, as if sleeping peacefully. “I saw him. And I touched him. And I kissed his cold body,” said Vance. “After that day I would wake up in a state of terror, and I still do, just not as much.”

Vance's remarks at the press conference came after survivors of the shooting detailed the daily consequences they still lived with — the knee-jerk reaction to flee when a balloon pops, the constant pain of three bullets still lodged in a survivor's body, the profound loneliness of carrying such trauma.

One of the lawsuits was filed by survivor Barrett Hudson, and the other was filed by a group of victims and relatives, including Vance.

Those killed in the shooting were Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump and Ashley Paugh.

Families and victims accused the nightclub’s owners of winnowing Club Q’s security detail from five or more people to just one leading up to the shooting, and not taking necessary steps to prepare for an eventuality like this one.

“Club Q advertised itself as a ‘safe place’ for LGBTQIA+ individuals. But that was a façade,” read both the complaints, which accuse the club of negligence among other allegations.

Club Q management did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but co-owner Matthew Haynes issued a statement to Denver7 in which he denied all accusations, saying the blame rests with Aldrich and the “system that enables easy access to weapons of war.”

“The pain of this tragedy is something we all carry with us every single day,” Haynes said in the statement.

A central focus of both lawsuits was the El Paso County commissioners’ and the then-sheriff’s political stance against Colorado’s red flag law passed in 2019, which allows law enforcement to temporarily take someone’s firearm if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

The county commissioners and sheriff saw the red flag law as an encroachment on gun rights and vowed to “actively resist” the bill, according to court documents.

Aldrich was arrested in 2021, accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill his grandparents, reportedly saying they would become the “next mass killer.” Aldrich, who uses they/them pronouns, was also accused of collecting ammunition, bomb-making materials, firearms and body armor, according to court documents.

Authorities did not attempt to remove Aldrich’s weapons using a red flag law, the lawsuits allege, and “This deliberate inaction allowed the shooter continued access to firearms, directly enabling the attack on Club Q.”

The suits separately allege negligence and wrongful death against the El Paso County commissioners and former sheriff, Bill Elder. Voicemails and texts left for phone numbers listed for Elder were not immediately returned.

Natalie Sosa, a spokesperson for El Paso County, said it does not comment on pending litigation.

The trauma of that night two years ago for shooting survivor Ashtin Gamblin is indelible. She said pyrotechnics at a music concert sent her yelping and trying to flee as people stared awkwardly and her mother covered her ears. Charlene Slaugh, another survivor, said on countless nights she cried herself to sleep.

“I remember what it felt like to wonder if I'd survive," Slaugh said. Other survivors shared the same feeling. “These memories don’t just disappear, they are woven into the fabric of my life now.”

Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Attorney Patrick Huber announces a lawsuit filed on behalf of victims of the deadly mass shooting at the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., on the second anniversary of the shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

CORRECTS DATE: Adriana Vance, mother of Raymond Green, who was killed in the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2022, talks about her son during a news conference announcing lawsuits filed against the sheriff's office and the nightclub's owners, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Adriana Vance, mother of Raymond Green who was killed in the Club Q nightclub mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., talks about her son as grandmother Estela Bell, left, cries during a news conference announcing the filing of a civil complaint on the two-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Adriana Vance, mother of Raymond Green who was killed in the Club Q nightclub mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., talks about her son during a news conference announcing the filing of a civil complaint on the two-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Charlene Slaugh is comforted after talking to the media during a news conference where survivors and family members of victims from the Club Q nightclub mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., announced the filing of a civil complaint on the two-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Ashtin Gamblin, survivor of the Club Q nightclub mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., is consoled by her husband Robert Conner Jr., during a news conference announcing the filing of a civil complaint on the two-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Survivors and family members of victims from the Club Q nightclub mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colo., attend a news conference announcing the filing of a civil complaint on the two-year anniversary of the deadly mass shooting, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

FILE - Rev. Paula Stecker of the Christ the King Lutheran Church stands in front of a memorial set up outside Club Q following a mass shooting at the gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., Nov. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Thomas Peipert, File)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola has agreed to a contract extension to stay at Manchester City for at least another season, according to British media reports Tuesday.

The City manager, whose contract was due to expire at the end of this season, has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining the club in 2016. City has won six Premier League titles in seven years and won the Champions League.

City has not commented on several reports that the 53-year-old Guardiola would extend his stay into a 10th season with the deal including an option for an additional year.

Under the Catalan coach, City became the first team to win four straight English league titles. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United’s achievement in 1999.

Guardiola's apparent decision to stay also comes as City faces a slew of alleged financial breaches. Punishment could be as extreme as expulsion from the league.

City faces more than 100 charges ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English soccer.

The club denies the charges and Guardiola had said in September — when a closed-door hearing was scheduled — that he welcomed the chance to clear the club’s name. A verdict is not expected until next year.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Manchester City at Falmer Stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Manchester City at Falmer Stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, left, and Brighton's head coach Fabian Huerzeler talk before the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Manchester City at Falmer Stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola leaves the pitch after the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Manchester City at Falmer Stadium in Brighton, England, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)