CBS News
Federal judge accepts plea deal for Club Q shooter, hands down 55 concurrent life sentences in Colorado
The gunman who opened fire in a LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs in 2022 was sentenced on federal charges on Tuesday. Five people were killed and 19 were injured at Club Q in a mass shooting that left a painful wound on the Colorado community.
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Late last year the shooter was sentenced to life in prison on state charges and was transferred from a Colorado prison to a Wyoming State Penitentiary. The convicted killer had pleaded guilty in state court to five counts of murder and 46 counts of attempted murder, plus no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crimes. That resulted in a sentence that included five consecutive life terms plus 2,208 years in prison.
On Tuesday morning Anderson Lee Aldrich pleaded guilty to dozens of federal hate crime and weapons charges. Those pleas were entered under a deal with prosecutors that allows the shooter to avoid the death penalty and instead be sentenced to more multiple life sentences for the hate crimes.
Early Tuesday afternoon, the judge accepted the plea deal with prosecutors, and the sentence is 55 life sentences on the hate crime charges followed by 140 years on gun charges and other counts.
Family members of victims from the November 2022 shooting made emotional statements to the judge and asked for the death penalty. Prosecutors said in a filing on Jan. 9 that they would not be seeking the death penalty.
The shooter was also given the opportunity to make a statement in the courtroom but decided not to do so.
The shooter was arrested approximately 5 minutes after the shooting started and after people who were at the bar jumped into action and were able to detain the shooter.
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All of the following people were killed in the shooting: Ashley Paugh, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Raymond Green Vance and Kelly Loving. They ranged in age from 22 to 40.
Since the shooting the nightclub has changed locations. It is now open in the Satellite Hotel, which is located several miles to the south in Colorado Springs.
A Frontier flight appeared to catch fire as the plane was landing Saturday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cell phone video showed flames and billows of smoke on the plane’s undercarriage as it touched down on the runway. Fire trucks and other emergency service vehicles rushed onto the runway, as smoke continued to surround the plane.
“Frontier flight 1326 experienced a hard landing,” a spokesperson for the airport confirmed to CBS News. “The Clark County Fire Department responded immediately and all passengers and crew have been safely transported to the gated area. No injuries were reported.”
Frontier flight 1326 from KSAN-KLAS just caught fire on landing at KLAS.
I caught it on video as it landed pic.twitter.com/KGt1Asx3rv
— Tyler (@TylerHerrick) October 5, 2024
Frontier Flight 1326 left San Diego at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Time and landed at Las Vegas at 3:37 p.m., according to Flight Aware.
“The pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency,” a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines confirmed to CBS News. “The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via airstairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
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$100 million in federal funds released for North Carolina to rebuild roads, bridges damaged by Helene
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds on Saturday for North Carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by Helene.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
The storm caused rampant flooding that has devastated several towns and killed more than 225 people – with CBS News confirming at least 114 people killed in North Carolina. There was more than 8 inches of rain across the western North Carolina mountains, with some areas seeing more than a foot.
Hundreds of roads across Western North Carolina remain closed, leading to an increase in air traffic as teams scour the region for survivors by air. Air traffic over Western North Carolina has increased by 300% due to relief efforts since the storm cleared, the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Mudslides blocked Interstate 40 and other highways in North Carolina and about 400 roads were closed due to damage from Helene. Interstate 40 was damaged at several locations, the Department of Transportation said.
President Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage by air from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Biden announced the federal government would cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months.
The Department of Transportation said these relief funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
Li Cohen and
contributed to this report.
