Two Club Q bartenders are among the five victims killed Saturday night at the popular LGBTQ+ nightclub, according to a co-worker and social media posts.
Daniel Davis Aston and Derrick Rump, also a co-owner of the bar, were fatally shot by a lone gunman, who also injured 18 people using a long gun shortly before midnight, when authorities say he entered the bar on North Academy Boulevard and immediately started shooting.
Aston, a transgender male, was energetic and helpful, said co-worker Leia-Jhene Seals, a drag performer who took to the stage Saturday night at Club Q, along with six other entertainers.
“He was always, ‘Do you need anything?’” Seals said.
Friends of Aston’s, who completed his transition to male in June, describe him as a drag king, performer and bartender.
From the left, Evan Hooton, co-owner Nic Grzecka, Derrick Rump, Jacob Gohl and Ed Sanders watch and discuss election results during a watch party at Club Q on Nov. 3, 2020. Rump was among those killed during Sunday morning's shooting at the club. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Dani Birzer recently moved to Phoenix from Colorado Springs and hung out at Club Q, which he described as the only "landing spot" in the community where LGBTQ+ people could feel safe.
Aston served him every drink he had at Club Q.
"I’m heartbroken and absolutely mortified,” Birzer said. “You always know this is a possibility when you go into a gay club because you know you’re not protected.
“And you hope to God that if something does happen it’s (not) someone you are close with, but it’s always a possible reality. And now I know someone. It was not a matter of if; it was a matter of when.”
Seals described Rump as bubbly and someone who liked to crack jokes.
“A lot of us, we don’t have family, and (LGBTQ+) people really need somewhere that’s a safe space,” Seals said. “Club Q was that to us.”
From the left, Evan Hooton, co-owner Nic Grzecka, Derrick Rump, Jacob Gohl and Ed Sanders watch and discuss election results during a watch party at Club Q on Nov. 3, 2020. Rump was among those killed during Sunday morning's shooting at the club. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Rump “kept his smile,” said Tiara Latrice Kelley, a performer at Club Q, which was scheduled to host the Transgender Day of Remembrance brunch on Sunday. The annual tradition remembers people lost to acts of violence against transgender people.
“He was all about keeping people happy,” Kelley said of Rump.
Birzer said he also knew Rump, and he made him feel safe whenever he visited the bar.
John Loveall got a phone call no parent ever wants: His son Jerecho called at 12:08 a.m. Sunday to say that he had been shot.
Jerecho Loveall was one of at least 18 people injured during the shooting spree. His father told The Washington Post that his 30-year-old son was already back at home after a bullet tore through his leg. He said that shrapnel remains in his son’s leg but that medical staffers thought it best to let his body heal on its own.
Loveall, 51, said his son was at the club Saturday night to support a cousin who often performs at the establishment, which regularly hosts drag shows.
Seals said he believed the other deceased victims were customers.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Colorado Springs police initially reported early Sunday that five people had died and 18 were wounded, then changed it to five dead and another 25 wounded. On Monday, a joint operation between police and the city of Colorado Springs corrected the totals to five fatalities, and 17 people sustained gunshot wounds, another person injured in another manner and one victim with no visible injuries but considered a victim, according to city spokesman Max D'Onofrio. The situation was very chaotic on Sunday, D'Onofrio said, which led to the change in numbers. The suspect also was wounded and remains in police custody in a local hospital. He brings the total to 25 people impacted.
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