Colorado Springs Shooter grandson of CA lawmaker

November 22, 2022

The alleged gunman accused of killing five people at a Colorado LGBTQ club is reported to be the grandson of a California representative who compared the January 6th riot at the US Capitol building to the Revolutionary War.

According to reports by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the accused gunman, Anderson Lee Aldrich’s mother was identified as Laura Voepel by several news sources. Voepel’s father is Randy Voepel, 71, a California State Assemblyman who recently lost his seat in the midterms.

California state lawmaker Randy Voepel representing the San Diego area is the #ColoradoSprings #ClubQ shooter’s grandfather. https://t.co/luLwUrIKRP https://t.co/WNwc0u2aTb pic.twitter.com/I6lGyhDVGI

— F A R R A H F A Z A L (@FarrahFazal) November 20, 2022

At the time of the January 6th riot, Voepel represented the 71st District since 2016. Three days after the fatal attack on he Capitol, Voepel compared the insurrection to the American Revolutionary War, telling the Union-Tribune, “This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear-in on January 20th.”

California Assembly member Randy Voepel — GOP California lawmaker who is reported to be the grandfather of the accused shooter of the Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub, who compared the Jan. 6 riot to the Revolutionary War. Photo Credit: Twitter (@RandyVoepel)

Voepel later retracted his words and claimed they were misunderstood, condemning the actions of Trump supporters at the Capitol, stating:

“The left has their crazies and the right has their crazies, and I don’t support either one. I support the First Amendment and the ability to protest, as long as you keep it peaceful.”

Preceding the Colorado shooting

According to police reports, in June of 2021, alleged Colorado Springs shooter, Aldrich was charged with first-degree kidnapping and menacing for allegedly threatening his mother with an explosive device.

Aldrich was not prosecuted however as his mother refused to cooperate with police.

When no explosives were found in the investigation, the records of the case were sealed which afforded Aldrich the opportunity to side step state “red flag laws” which would have allowed officials to confiscate weapons had he been deemed “a threat to themselves or others”.