The five people who were killed at a gay club in Colorado are being remembered as loving parents, enthusiastic performers and longtime patrons who cherished Club Q as a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ community.
They came to Colorado Springs’ preeminent LGBTQ establishment on Saturday evening and were met with tragedy when a gunman entered just before midnight and began spraying bullets before he was tackled and subdued.
The dead have been identified as Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, Raymond Green Vance and Ashley Paugh.
Another 17 people were injured by the gunfire.
Daniel Aston would let loose on a typical night at Club Q in Colorado Springs as a bartender and entertainer, sliding across the stage on all fours. The venue provided Aston, a 28-year-old transgender man and the self-proclaimed “Master of Silly Business,” with the liberating spotlight he had long sought.