Biden Expresses Condolences To LGBTQ Club Owners In Colorado Mass Shooting: Report

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have called the two owners of Club Q to offer their condolences for a mass shooting that took the lives of five people and injured 18 others last Saturday night, according to a tweet by reporter Steve Herman.

The Bidens called Nic Grzecka and Matthew Haynes to offer condolences, reiterating "their support for the community as well as their commitment to fighting back against hate and gun violence," Herman wrote.

They also thanked the two for the "incredible contributions they have made and will continue to make to Colorado Springs," he wrote.

Colorado Springs police say 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich has been accused of the shooting spree and was taken into custody minutes later, authorities say.

Aldrich, who was said to be carrying multiple guns and additional ammunition magazines, now faces murder and hate crime charges, police said.

Aldrich's defense attorneys said late Tuesday that he is nonbinary and in court filings, he was referred to as “Mx. Aldrich."

Prosecutor Michael Allen repeatedly referred to the suspect as “he” during a press briefing after the hearing and asserted his gender status would not change anything about the case.

Aldrich was ordered held without bail in an initial court appearance Wednesday and could be seen slumped over in a photo taken inside the courtroom. Their booking photo was released the same day.

Aldrich was born in Orange County and had a troubled childhood, according to a report in Denver Gazette.

The Gazette reported that Aldrich's biological father Aaron Brink "dabbled in drugs and worked in the porn industry," and their mother, Laura Voepel, was arrested multiple times.

The pair divorced in September 2001, when Aldrich was around 16-months-old, according to the outlet.

Citing Texas court records, the outlet reported that Aldrich was born Nicholas Franklin Brink and had their name changed in 2016 — during a time when they were apparently being bullied online— to Anderson Lee Aldrich.

Patch editor Cailin Loesch and The Associated Press contributed to the report.