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Suspect in the Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting will be held without bond as prosecutors work to finalize formal charges | CNN

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Suspect in the Colorado Springs LGBTQ club shooting will be held without bond as prosecutors work to finalize formal charges | CNN



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The 22-year-old accused of finishing up a mass taking pictures over the weekend at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will stay held with out bond following a courtroom look Wednesday.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, showing in courtroom by way of video convention for the primary time for the reason that assault that left 5 lifeless and greater than a dozen injured, answered a couple of questions in a barely audible voice. Aldrich, whose attorneys say makes use of they/them pronouns, acknowledged that they had watched a video about their rights and mentioned that they had no questions.

Formal prices are anticipated on the subsequent courtroom listening to, set for December 6, Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District Legal professional Michael Allen mentioned. Aldrich can be anticipated to look then in individual, he mentioned, including the date may change.

Preliminary prices embody 5 counts of first-degree homicide and 5 counts of a bias-motivated crime – elsewhere referred to as a hate crime – inflicting bodily harm, per El Paso County Courtroom’s on-line docket.

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“We’ll be reviewing all the proof and making the suitable submitting choices on the acceptable time,” Allen mentioned.

Forward of the listening to, attorneys for Aldrich submitted a courtroom submitting stating the suspect identifies as nonbinary. “They use they-them pronouns, and for the needs of all formal filings, will probably be addressed as Mx. Aldrich,” the courtroom doc famous.

Requested after the listening to in regards to the potential affect on the case of the defendant’s nonbinary distinction, Allen mentioned: “To us, his authorized definition on this continuing is the defendant,” including, “It has no affect on the best way that I prosecute this case.”

The prosecutor declined to touch upon the motive for the crime or the investigation.

“I would like them to know that we’re going to be the voice for the victims within the courtroom and that we are going to be combating alongside them throughout this complete course of,” Allen mentioned of the victims’ households.

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The general public defender’s workplace is representing Aldrich and has declined all requests for remark, citing workplace coverage.

Because the investigation and authorized course of proceed, survivors and family members of these killed are processing the sentiments of shock and grief after a enjoyable night time of drag performances and dancing turned violent at Membership Q, a venue referred to as a secure area for the LGBTQ group.

The US has recorded greater than 600 mass shootings thus far this 12 months, in line with the Gun Violence Archive, which like CNN defines such incidents as these with at the very least 4 slain or injured, not together with the shooter.

Daniel Aston, Raymond Inexperienced Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump had been killed within the assault at Membership Q – some whereas working a Saturday night time shift and others whereas having fun with the night time’s occasions. Not less than 19 others had been injured, most by gunshots, police have mentioned.

Aldrich entered the nightclub simply earlier than midnight armed with an AR-style weapon and a handgun and instantly started taking pictures, police mentioned.

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“From the quantity of pictures that originally went off when he got here into the membership, I actually thought it was a number of folks taking pictures,” clubgoer Gil Rodriguez instructed CNN on Monday.

The suspect was rapidly taken down and contained by two patrons till police arrived, which officers say doubtless prevented extra folks from being killed or injured.

Richard Fierro, an Military veteran who was celebrating a birthday on the membership with household and associates, tackled Aldrich to the bottom and used the suspect’s handgun to hit them repeatedly, Fierro instructed CNN. One other individual jumped in to assist and pushed the rifle out of Aldrich’s attain, Fierro mentioned.

Shortly after, Aldrich was taken into custody and hospitalized. On Tuesday, the suspect was transferred to the El Paso County Jail.

Whereas homicide prices will provide the longest sentencing choices, Allen mentioned he expects extra prices on prime of these.

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“Colorado has biased-motivated crime statutes, which most individuals perceive as hate crimes. We’re positively that, based mostly on the details concerned on this case,” Allen mentioned. “And if there’s proof to cost it, we’ll completely cost these as properly.”

Further prices of menacing are additionally doable, Colorado Legal professional Basic Phil Weiser mentioned.

“Each single one that was there at Membership Q is a sufferer of 1 crime or one other,” Weiser instructed CNN on Tuesday.

“It’s actually vital that we’re in a position to honor the victims and to have the ability to name out this crime for what it actually seems to be, which is a hate crime motivated by who folks had been,” he added.

As authorities attempt to nail down a motive behind the taking pictures, new info has come to gentle in regards to the suspect’s upbringing and questions have been raised about why earlier prices towards Aldrich had been dropped.

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Aldrich was born below the title Nicholas Brink and legally modified the title in 2015.

That very same 12 months, Aldrich skilled cyberbullying on a parody web site that comprises images of Aldrich and makes use of offensive slurs to mock the then-teen’s weight and accuse Aldrich of participating in criminality, in line with an rising portrait of the alleged shooter pieced collectively by CNN.

The web page, which was first reported by the Washington Publish, continues to be energetic. 

Based on a relative, the suspect’s main caretaker was his grandmother, who declined CNN’s request for an interview. Aldrich ended up below her supervision when their mom struggled with a string of arrests and associated psychological well being evaluations, in line with courtroom information and an interview with a member of the family. 

Laura Voepel, Aldrich’s mom, referred to as police final 12 months and reported Aldrich had entered the Colorado Springs home she was renting a room in and threatened her with a do-it-yourself bomb.

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2021 video seems to indicate Colorado membership taking pictures suspect ranting about police

Video obtained by CNN confirmed Aldrich apparently ranting in regards to the police throughout the incident and difficult them to breach the house.

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“I’ve received the f**king sh*theads outdoors, have a look at that, they’ve received a bead on me,” Aldrich says on the video, pointing the digicam at a window with blinds protecting it. “You see that proper there? F**king sh*theads received their f**king rifles out.”

Later within the video, Aldrich says, “In the event that they breach, I’mma f**king blow it to holy hell.”

The video ends with Aldrich delivering what looks as if a message to regulation enforcement outdoors: “So, uh, go forward and are available on in, boys! Let’s f**king see it!”

The video doesn’t really present any officers outdoors the home, and it’s not clear from the video whether or not Aldrich had any weapons in the home.

A number of hours after the preliminary police name, the native sheriff division’s disaster negotiations unit was in a position to get Aldrich to depart the home. Authorities didn’t discover any explosives within the house, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned.

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Police Chief Adrian Vasquez gives an update about the Club Q shooting investigation Monday at the Police Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Aldrich was arrested and booked into the El Paso County Jail on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, in line with a 2021 information launch from the sheriff’s workplace.

It was not instantly clear how the bomb risk case was resolved; the Colorado Springs Gazette reported the district legal professional’s workplace mentioned no formal prices had been pursued within the case. The district legal professional’s workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark from CNN.

Aldrich bought the 2 weapons introduced Saturday night time to Membership Q, regulation enforcement sources instructed CNN this week. However it’s not clear whether or not the AR-style rifle and handgun had been bought earlier than or after the 2021 case.

Aldrich’s arrest in connection to the bomb risk wouldn’t have proven up in background checks as a result of the case was by no means adjudicated, the fees had been dropped and the information had been sealed. It’s unclear what prompted the sealing of the information.

With the taking pictures occurring simply days earlier than Thanksgiving, some households that had been planning vacation gatherings are actually reeling from the affect of the violence.

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Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashely Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance

These are the 5 individuals who died within the Membership Q taking pictures

“We’re a metropolis in mourning, however we’re a metropolis in restoration,” Mayor John Suthers instructed CNN on Tuesday. “The one message that we now have to convey is that the actions of this lone particular person: … Don’t outline our group. What ought to outline our group is how we reply to it.”

Residents, survivors and family members of the victims have supported one another by way of vigils, ceremonies and monetary contributions, Suthers mentioned.

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“(Membership Q) was really a secure haven, and we need to make certain these kinds of issues live on sooner or later,” Suthers mentioned.

A Thanksgiving dinner for the LGBTQ group – which was held at Membership Q – will happen as a substitute at Pikes Peak Metropolitan Neighborhood Church, CNN affiliate KRDO reported.

Jason Plata, a church consultant, referred to as Thursday’s dinner an area “to interrupt bread with one another and be capable of keep in mind our associates that we’ve misplaced and a few of our associates which might be nonetheless combating.”

A survivor named Anthony, who declined to offer his final title, mentioned whereas “the group is robust, and we are going to get by way of this,” he now feels unsafe.

“I will probably be uncomfortable going wherever for a very long time,” Anthony mentioned throughout a information convention whereas nonetheless hospitalized Tuesday, KRDO reported.

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Requested what he would say to the accused shooter, Anthony mentioned he would inform Aldrich, “Why don’t you meet any person and get to know their true coronary heart earlier than passing judgment?”

The suspect, Anthony mentioned, “harmed numerous pure, true hearts, and I don’t know in the event that they’ll ever be the identical.”

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Air India flight to London carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad

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Air India flight to London carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad

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An Air India flight to London Gatwick has crashed in Ahmedabad in western India shortly after take-off, with 242 people on board.

Air India said that those on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft included 169 Indian nationals, as well as 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. There were also 10 cabin crew and two pilots.

An Indian government official said there were 209 confirmed deaths, including people who had been on the ground when the plane crashed.

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The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was more than 10 years old, according to Flightradar24, which added that after reaching an altitude of 625 feet, the aircraft began to descend with a vertical speed of 475 feet per minute.

The aircraft tracking service added that the plane’s signal was lost at 1.38pm local time, just after take-off.

Rohan Krishnan, head of Indian doctors’ association Faima, said the flight crashed into the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, adding that some students had been taken to hospital.

It is the first time a 787 has crashed, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

Boeing shares were down 7 per cent in pre-market trading on Thursday.

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The crash comes as Boeing tries to rebuild trust after a series of safety crises including two fatal crashes of its 737 Max model in 2018 and 2019, which led to the departure of its then chief executive Dennis Muilenburg.

The mid-air blowout of a door plug on a 737 Max-9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines in January 2024 triggered another clear-out of top management amid concerns over the quality of Boeing’s manufacturing.

Kelly Ortberg, who became the manufacturer’s new chief executive last August, has sought to stabilise Boeing’s production and improve its quality control processes, as well as shore up its balance sheet.

The company said on Thursday that its “thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected”.

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Police in Gujarat state told the Financial Times that the plane crashed “within 10 minutes” of taking off from the airport in Ahmedabad.

The Indian aviation regulator said the aircraft made a mayday call to air traffic control “but thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC”.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X on Thursday: “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.”

“My thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time,” he added.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.”

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crash site of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner
An image taken from video footage of the crash site

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chair of Tata, which took over the airline from state control in 2022, said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.”

Tata had promised to modernise the carrier, and, in 2023, Air India agreed a deal with Boeing and Airbus to buy 470 new aircraft, one of the largest orders in aviation history.

John Strickland, an aviation consultant, said Boeing’s 787 had a “good in-service safety record”, adding that it was “too early to speculate on the likely cause” of the accident.

Air India had faced the “challenges of decades of state ownership and poor management”, said Strickland.

However, he said that since being sold to Tata, experienced management had been brought in and the carrier “had begun to move in the right direction both operationally and commercially”.

Video: How safety lapses hit Boeing’s reputation | FT Film
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National Guard authorized to detain ICE attackers, DHS says

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National Guard authorized to detain ICE attackers, DHS says

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National Guardsmen deployed to Los Angeles have the authority to temporarily detain anti-ICE rioters in Los Angeles, the Department of Homeland Security says.

President Donald Trump has deployed some 4,000 National Guardsmen to the city as the riots continue, but Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said on Wednesday that there have only been a small number of cases where they have detained civilians.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin says the troops are on the ground to provide protection for ICE agents and other federal law enforcement groups.

“If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest,” McLaughlin told Axios in a statement.

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NEWSOM FILES EMERGENCY MOTION TO ‘IMMEDIATELY BLOCK’ TRUMP’S USE OF MILITARY TO STOP LA RIOTS

National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles can temporarily detain anti-ICE protesters before handing them over to law enforcement, the DHS says. (RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)

TRUMP TAKES ACTION AGAINST ‘ORCHESTRATED ATTACK’ ON LAW ENFORCEMENT BY DEPLOYING MARINES TO LA: ASSEMBLYMAN

Sherman told the Associated Press on Wednesday that about 500 National Guard troops have been trained so far to help agents carry out immigration operations in Los Angeles.

Immigration officials have already circulated photos of soldiers from the National Guard providing security for Department of Homeland Security agents.

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Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, who is overseeing the National Guard in Los Angeles

Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, speaks to reporters Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)

He told the AP that over the past few days, National Guard soldiers have temporarily detained anti-ICE protesters, though there have not been many as of late because things have calmed down.

Sherman also said the soldiers did not participate in the arrests or law enforcement activities. Instead, he added, they let the agitators go once police take them into custody.

U.S. National Guard troops walking by vehicle

U.S. National Guard soldiers are deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following an immigration raid protest the night before. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a public feud with the Trump administration, accusing the president of having “commandeered” 2,000 of the state’s National Guard members “illegally, for no reason” without consulting with California’s law enforcement leaders.

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The Trump administration, meanwhile, said its ICE operations are aiming to get “criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, drug dealers, human traffickers and domestic abusers off the streets.”

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Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

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Trumps to Attend ‘Les Misérables’ at Kennedy Center

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Trumps to Attend ‘Les Misérables’ at Kennedy Center

President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, are scheduled to attend the opening night performance of “Les Misérables” at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night.

In some sense it is the culmination of the Trump takeover of the national cultural center. The president appointed himself chairman of the Kennedy Center in February, purged the traditionally bipartisan board and restocked it with loyalists. In March, he took a tour and met with his new board. “We’re going to get some very good shows,” he said at the time. “I guess we have ‘Les Miz’ coming.”

Mr. Trump’s tightening grip has upset a number of artists, and some members of the cast were expected to boycott the performance.

“Les Misérables” has long been one of Mr. Trump’s favorite shows, and the opening on Wednesday was expected to be a big night out on the town for the president’s friends and top allies, complete with a red carpet.

The flashy outing, to a musical with its climactic moments celebrating an anti-government uprising, coincides with one of the most volatile weeks of Mr. Trump’s second term.

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Mr. Trump’s administration has sent soldiers from the California National Guard and the Marines into Los Angeles in response to days of protests over immigration raids.

Those deployments — over the objections of state and local officials there — have set off an extraordinary standoff between Mr. Trump and California’s governor, Gavin Newsom. In a televised address on Tuesday night, Mr. Newsom accused Mr. Trump of mounting an attack on democracy: “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”

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