Colorado Springs Police Department
Club Q shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich’s violent tendencies forced terrified relatives into a “virtual prison,” and last year he began building untraceable ghost guns at home using a 3D printer, according to court filings unsealed late Thursday.
Aldrich, 22, has been charged with 305 counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and bias crimes for a Nov. 19 massacre that left five dead and nearly two dozen wounded. Aldrich’s lawyers say he identifies as non-binary. However, Aldrich is listed as male in police booking records, and The Daily Beast reviewed text messages sent by Aldrich’s mother the day of the shooting in which she refers to them using male pronouns.
On June 18, 2021, Aldrich was arrested after a standoff with police at their mother’s home in Colorado Springs, during which they allegedly held her hostage and threatened to blow up the building.