Nic Grzecka, owner of Club Q, stands outside the business after a news conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
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Nic Grzecka, owner of Club Q, stands outside the business after a news conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
Thomas Peipert/AP
The owner of Club Q, Colorado Springs, Colorado, the LGBTQ nightclub where a deadly mass shooting took place nearly two weeks ago, said although exact plans are still being decided, the club will reopen.
A gunman entered the club on November 20 and started shooting, killing five people and injuring 17 others. Of the injured, seven were hospitalized but have since been discharged.
The suspect, identified as Anderson Lee Aldritch, was arrested.
Colorado Springs police ended their investigation on November 25, allowing the club’s owners and employees to return to the building.
Club Q is a conservative city LGBT+ haven and despite the tragedy, work is being done to ensure the club continues to serve that community.
Nic Grzecka, owner of Club Q told NPR in a phone interview: “We will rebuild in some sense or in some form. “This community has wholeheartedly expressed their need for the space we’ve been providing for 20 years.”
The Q Club and the memorial to the victims of the shooting are pictured in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
Hyoung Chang/Denver Posted via Getty Images
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Hyoung Chang/Denver Posted via Getty Images
The Q Club and the memorial to the victims of the shooting are pictured in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
Hyoung Chang/Denver Posted via Getty Images
In the meantime, Grzecka said, he and his staff are working on a temporary solution.
“We’re currently working on another space that we have, a different location,” he said. “We’re hoping to be able to raise some funds and people to help open up this other space so we can get our employees back to work and give everyone a space to come back.”
Grzecka said Club Q and its community have received a lot of support since the shooting, especially from city officials.
“City officials in Colorado Springs have been fantastic at providing support, therapy and victim advocacy,” he said. “They’ve been transparent and respectful of our community, which doesn’t always happen, and that’s amazing.”
The suspect in the shooting appeared in court on November 23 for a preliminary hearing. He is in custody while prosecutors work to finalize formal charges. His next court date is December 6.
