Activists Blame DeSantis for Colorado Shooting: ‘Extreme MAGA’

Published Nov. 21, 2022, 2:15 p.m. ET | Updated Nov. 21, 2022

Gov. Ron DeSantis visits with search and rescue teams, Sept. 29, 2022.
Gov. Ron DeSantis visits with search and rescue teams, Sept. 29, 2022.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (FLV) – Following a shooting at gay nightclub Club Q in Colorado where five people were reportedly killed, some social media users are pointing fingers at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said five people were killed in the shooting, 19 people were wounded by gunshots and sought medical attention, and additional six people received medical attention which was unrelated to gunshots, according to the interview with KRDO.

Although the exact motive of the shooting or political affiliation of the alleged shooter has not been released by officials, others also took to Twitter to blame DeSantis and others who share his policy opinions.

Former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-FL, tweeted, “The hate in this country fueled by extreme MAGA including people in power like @GovRonDeSantis is what incites violence like the one we’re seeing in Colorado Springs. America, don’t look away.”

Some blame the Florida governor for the Colorado shooting because of recent rhetoric condemning drag shows in front of kids. The DeSantis Administration said children should not be exposed to sexualization in drag shows.

Will Bunch, a Columnist with the New York Times, tweeted, “After the dust settles from a mass murder at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs with Saturday night drag shows, let’s talk about how GOP pols like Ron DeSantis spent the election making drag shows Public Enemy No. 1.”

Jeremy Redfern, Deputy Press Secretary for DeSantis, replied:

“Will is trying to blame the governor for a shooting that happened in Colorado because the governor opposes the sexualization of children. People on this website mention Governor DeSantis because they know his name will get clicks. Not because they have a rational argument.”

Officials say the suspect’s full name is Anderson Lee Aldrich. The identities of the victims were not made public.

One patron reportedly wrestled a gun from the alleged shooter and “used that hand gun not shoot it – to hit him in a way that disabled him,” according to Suthers.

Aldrich is being charged with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to court documents obtained by KRDO.

The law defines bias-motivated crimes as “unlawful acts against persons or groups because of a person’s or group’s race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation for the purpose of inciting and provoking bodily injury or damage to property.”

User @FredTJoseph said, “The mass shooting in Colorado Springs is what happens when you make marginalized communities a public enemy through policies aimed at erasure, and banning of books that humanize/affirm/teach. This blood is firmly on the hands of Ron DeSantis, Glenn Youngkin, etc.”

Another user, @Ryan_Deitsch, said, “Folks like DeSantis & the GOP cannot be allowed unabated to criminalize vulnerable communities through regulation & rhetoric.”

The Colorado Springs mayor said that mass shootings have different motivations.

“In this case – it has the trappings of a hate crime and obviously a lot of them do. A lot of them have to do with individuals being targeted and things like that – there’s a world of motivations out there,” Suthers said.

Going forward, the mayor said he believes there should have a process by which police can identify those with mental health issues and prevent them from getting firearms even if they haven’t resulted in formal adjudications.

Florida’s Voice reached out to the DeSantis office for further comment and will update the story if a response is received.

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