SLO vigil honors victims of shooting at LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs
About 50 people gathered at the Gala Pride & Diversity Center in San Luis Obispo on Monday evening to honor the victims of a mass shooting in Colorado Springs and to remember others killed in violence against the LGBTQ community.
Executive Director Dusty Colyer-Worth opened the candlelight vigil with comments and was followed by about a dozen others who expressed anger at violence, called for the end of incitement, and shared pride in community and determination to support each other going forward.
Chalk messages on the sidewalk included statements like “Protect trans kids” while rainbow banners fluttered in the evening breeze.
The event honored many victims of violence but had been overshadowed by the most recent event in Colorado Springs.
Photos lined the wall outside the center memorializing previous victims of violence.
The suspect in the Colorado attack, Anderson Lee Aldrich, reportedly used an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle and is facing murder and hate crime charges, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to the deaths, 18 others were injured, at least seven who remained in critical condition.
On its Facebook page, Club Q thanked the “quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 8:11 PM.
