Colorado Springs shooting suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich seen for first time in court to face murder charges

Anderson Lee Aldrich, who is accused of killing five people and wounding numerous others in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGTBQ+ club over the weekend, made their first appearance in court on Wednesday.

Police are still investigating the massacre and the motive behind it, but the 22-year-old faces five preliminary charges of first-degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury.

In a brief hearing, Aldrich could be seen wearing an orange prison uniform, and a judge decided the alleged shooter would remain in county jail without bond.

Aldrich, whose attorneys say they identify as nonbinary and use they/them pronouns, allegedly entered Club Q with an AR-style assault rifle and a handgun and killed Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump.

At least 19 others were injured, according to police.

Formal charges are expected in the coming days, as police continue to investigate the motive behind the shooting.

Richard Fierro, an Army veteran celebrating his birthday in the club with family and friends, said he recognised that the shooter was wearing a flak vest and proceeded to run across the room, grab it, and pull the Aldrich to the floor.

Another person helped Mr Fierro bring Aldrich to the ground and he told them to push the AR-15 rifle away.

This is a developing news story and will be updated with new information.