Svetlana Heim stands silently in front of a memorial for Derrick Rump on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 during a memorial for the two-year anniversary of a shooting that claimed the lives of five people (and injured many others) at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo. Heim, a former bartender at the club, was a close friend and co-worker with Rump. “I feel like for the first year anniversary, everyone was [still] in shock—It feels heavier this time,” Heim said. (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile,The Gazette)
The owners of The Q by the Orbit Lounge, founded by former Club Q employees and shooting survivors Michael Anderson and Tara Bush, are hosting a memorial event Tuesday, the two-year mark since the mass shooting at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ dance club.
A Night of Resilience and Strength: Two Years After Club Q is an evening of “solidarity and community” to remember the tragedy and celebrate the community a hate-motivated massacre attempted to sever, starting 8 p.m., at 411 Lakewood Circle, just off South Academy Boulevard at the Satellite Hotel.
Earlier, at 7 p.m., a community vigil is scheduled at the since-closed Club Q at 3430 N. Academy Blvd.
An armed assailant walked into the club Nov. 19, 2022, and opened fire on the crowd of patrons, killing five people — Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance — and injuring dozens of others.
On Sunday, victims were memorialized and survivors honored outside the former Club Q in an event organized and hosted by the Springs’ Prism Community Collective.
Prism will offer extended hours, noon-9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, during which those in need of support can “drop in” to connect with on-site resources including representatives able to assist with access to critical support needs, one-on-one peer support specialists, and connections with a range of other mental health, emotional and spiritual support networks.
Svetlana Heim stands silently in front of a memorial for Derrick Rump on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 during a memorial for the two-year anniversary of a shooting that claimed the lives of five people (and injured many others) at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo. Heim, a former bartender at the club, was a close friend and co-worker with Rump. “I feel like for the first year anniversary, everyone was [still] in shock—It feels heavier this time,” Heim said. (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile,The Gazette)Esthela Bell places flowers on a memorial for her grandson, Raymond Vance, on Sunday during a memorial for the two-year anniversary of a shooting that claimed the lives of five people (and injured many others) at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q. (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile,The Gazette)A family member lays a flower near a poster memorializing Ashley Paugh, one of five people killed in the Club Q mass shooting, during a remembrance gathering on Sunday. (O’Dell Isaac, The Gazette)A Pride flag flies over a memorial on Nov. 17 for victims of the 2022 Club Q shooting that claimed the lives of five and injured many. (the gazette)Triniti Harris is reflected in the face of a balloon dedicated her aunt, Ashley Paugh (whose memorial is pictured in the background) on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 during the eve of the two-year anniversary of a shooting that claimed the lives of five people (and injured many others) at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo. “It’s great to see that there is such a community around this—just empowering knowing that people still care after two years,” she said. (The Gazette, Arthur H. Trickett-Wile) (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile,The Gazette)Michael Hommel stands guard with fellow members of the Parasol Patrol on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 during a memorial for the two-year anniversary of a shooting that claimed the lives of five people (and injured many others) at LGBTQ+ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo. He and his fellow members provided security for the afternoon, bringing rainbow umbrellas to shield guests at the memorial in the event of protestors. (The Gazette, Arthur H. Trickett-Wile) (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile,The Gazette)
