(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Ed Sanders said he is smiling because he is “happy to be alive,” after being shot twice during the deadly Colorado Springs shooting at Club Q, a local LGBTQ+ bar, on Nov. 19.
In a recent interview released by UCHealth, Sanders shared from the hospital his experiences inside Club Q when the shooting occurred.
“I was in line for the bar, and when I got to the front, I gave my credit card and told them I wanted to open a tab and the shooting started right then. I got hit in the back and I turned around to look at him and he kept shooting, he kept shooting and he did two volleys of 10 – 15 shots each. The second volley got me in the leg and I fell – everybody fell.”
“When I fell, I was facing (away from) the shooter, so I didn’t see the heroes get him. There was a lot of chaos, but a lot of people were helping each other – the people who weren’t hit were helping each other – just like a family would do… The police came very quickly – it was about 2 minutes that we were laying on the floor. They took the woman next to me first because she was passing,” said Sanders, visibly emotional.
Sanders shared that as a frequent visitor of Club Q since it opened in 2002, he often wondered if a mass shooting event such as this would ever happen.
“After Pulse happened and the number of victims, I kind of imagined that happening at Club Q and what I would do. I never dreamed that it would come true, but in the back of my mind, I always thought ‘It could happen here, and what would I do?’” said Sanders.
“For 20 years, I’ve been going to Club Q. I was there opening night in 2002, and I knew a lot of the people (that passed).”
Sanders shared that Club Q is one of the oldest of only a few drag bars in Colorado Springs and, as such, has a reputation that “makes it a target for sick people.”
As the LGBTQ+ community mourns the five lives lost in the Club Q shooting, it also mourns the safety and security of all community members across the nation, whether they or a close loved one are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“This incident underlines the fact that LGBT people need to be loved,” said Sanders, “A word of encouragement to friends and family is appropriate right now.”
Publication: FOX21 News
