KTLA

Colorado Springs gay nightclub shooter born in Orange County, grandson of Riverside County legislator

Heart-shaped signs bear messages of support in a makeshift memorial to the victims of a weekend mass shooting at a nearby gay nightclub on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Anderson Lee Aldrich opened fire at Club Q, in which five people were killed and others suffered gunshot wounds before patrons tackled and beat the suspect into submission. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The 22-year-old man accused of fatally shooting five people and wounding 18 others at a Colorado Springs gay bar reportedly was born in Southern California to parents who had several run-ins with law enforcement.

Police, who initially said 25 were wounded before revising that number, identified the gunman as Anderson Lee Aldrich.


According to The Denver Gazette, Aldrich was born Nicholas Franklin Brink to Laura Voepel and Aaron Brink in Orange County. The couple separated a little over a year after their child’s birth.

Aaron Brink, an MMA fighter turned porn star named Dick Delaware, has been arrested on charges such as burglary, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violating parole, the local news organization reported.

Additionally, Voepel was arrested for arson and failed to complete her probation in Texas. Her father is California Assemblyman Randy Voepel, who represents part of Riverside and San Diego counties. Voepel lost his reelection bid earlier this month.

The Colorado Springs shooting was not Aldrich’s first contact with law enforcement. Last year, he was arrested after a bomb threat and standoff at his mother’s Colorado home, the Gazette reported.