Five killed, 18 injured in Colorado nightclub shooting

Five people were killed and 18 injured after a gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, in the US state of Colorado on Saturday night.

Colorado Springs police Lieutenant Pamela Castro told a news conference that a suspect was in custody and was being treated for injuries after the attack at Club Q.

“It’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that we had a shooting at a local club this evening. We got an initial phone call at about 11:57 in the evening [06:57 GMT on Sunday] that there was an active shooting at a local club known as Club Q.” Castro said.

She did not give any information on the motive for the attack and declined to say what kind of firearm was used in the shooting.

Club Q released a statement on its Facebook page, that it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community … We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack.”

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In its Google listing, the club describes itself as an “adult-oriented gay and lesbian nightclub hosting theme nights such as karaoke, drag shows & DJs.”

Images of the scene after the shooting showed security and emergency vehicles with flashing blinkers parked on a street near the venue.

By 4 a.m. (1100 GMT), police had taped off the area around the club, which is located in a strip mall on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.

In 2016, a gunman killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, before he was shot dead by police. At the time it was the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history.

Zainab Sa’id