COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Mourners gathered across Colorado Sunday and Monday to honor the victims of a shooting that killed five people and injured 18 others at an LGBTQ+ nightclub Saturday night.
Outside Club Q in Colorado Springs, people left flowers and signs in a memorial to the victims.
Mourning the victims of the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs
People gathered Sunday morning for a vigil at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church near downtown Colorado Springs.
"We are going to make sure that we are bringing change for our community and raising voices for our community," said Joseph Shelton, who said his friend was injured in the shooting.
"I had just given a friend a ride back down, and he actually had said, 'take me to the club instead of taking me home,' and so I took him there and dropped him off," Shelton said.
"About 10 minutes after I got home, within that small time frame, I got a call from a friend saying that there was a shooter," Shelton said.
Shelton said his friend Ed was shot twice, but survived. He had surgery Sunday, and Shelton said he seems to be doing well.
Others weren't as lucky.
"Throughout the night it's just been a series of information trickling in and finding out that our close friends actually are dead," Jasmine Warner said.
Across the country, a vigil was held Sunday evening in West Hollywood, California in solidarity with the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs.
Monday, a vigil was held at Tracks, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Denver. It was a packed house, with the line to get in stretching for more than a block out the door.
Speakers included Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Democratic U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette and One Colorado Executive Director Nadine Bridges.
Gov. Jared Polis ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on all public buildings statewide from sunrise Monday until sunset Saturday. Polis' administration will also be flying the Pride flag at the Colorado state capitol for the next five days.
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