(MARBLE FALLS, CA) — Marble Falls High School announced its plans this week to investigate reports of alleged racist behavior by student spectators at a girls basketball tournament on Friday.
The incident at the Texas school, which was captured on camera, depicts several students shouting monkey noises as East Central High School senior Asia Prudhomme, who is Black, was shooting free throws. Marble Falls High School’s student body is almost 50 percent white and only 1.5% Black.
“I’ve always been taught not to pay attention to the stands, so I wasn’t really paying attention to them,” Prudhomme, who successfully sank her free throw, told ABC News. “I was just focused on making my free throws and getting my team back into the game.”
After watching the video of the incident, however, Prudhomme said she was shocked.
“I’ve never had this happen to me,” she said. “I was heartbroken. In my head, I was just thinking why would anybody do this. It’s 2022.”
Marble Falls High School Principal Damon Adams said in a statement that administrators are reviewing video footage and will interview students and spectators who attended the game to ensure a thorough investigation.
He said the school takes the allegations of racism seriously and will “hold students accountable for any behaviors that violate our expectations.”
“As campus principal, I regret that any player or guest in attendance at our tournament experienced anything from our student body that made them feel uncomfortable or devalued,” he said. “I am saddened that the behaviors of a very small number of students could tarnish the impression that others have of the incredible group of kids who make up our student body.”
Marble Falls Independent School District also said in a statement that it will continue to work with administration at East Central High School to fully investigate the incident.
“Marble Falls ISD does not condone any form of discrimination, and we would like players at East Central to know they have our full support,” the statement reads.
Prudhomme said she is asking for a “sincere public apology” from the students who made the noises. Her mother Pamela Prudhomme added that she would also like to see the students suspended.
In September, Katy Independent School District, also in Texas, launched an investigation into reports of spectators making monkey sounds at Patricia E. Paetow High School’s junior varsity volleyball team, made up of predominantly Black and Hispanic girls, during their game against Jordan High School.
Prudhomme, who hopes to play basketball in college and eventually make it to the WNBA, said she is grateful for the support she has received from her coaches, teammates and fans.
“I have a lot of love at my school,” she said. “It’s really building me up to become a stronger person.”
(NEW YORK) — Ky Schevers is fighting back against the anti-trans movement she once took part in.
Schevers was assigned the sex of female at birth and later chose to start gender-affirming care by taking testosterone to transition from female to male in her mid-20s. She stopped taking testosterone, though, in the years that followed while she continued to explore and question her gender, later falling into an online anti-trans group of “detransitioners” – people who once did but no longer identify as transgender.
Now, Schevers says she has “retransitioned,” identifying as transmasculine and gender queer, which means she identifies with both genders. Schevers uses she and her pronouns, but heavily identifies with masculinity, as defined by the LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center states.
She says she considers herself to be a part of the transgender community.
When Schevers initially stopped taking testosterone, she sought out advice and companionship in online forums about detransitioning. In this virtual community is where she began to adopt anti-trans beliefs that misogyny and a patriarchal society caused her to initially transition from female to male. In blog posts, YouTube videos, interviews and workshops, she spread and promoted these beliefs. These posts became a popular tool for anti-trans activists looking to discredit the trans community in the name of feminism.
A 50-year study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior performed in Sweden estimated that less than 3% of people who medically transitioned experienced “transition regret.” Other studies have estimated similar results, some citing even lower figures.
Despite this low percentage, these individuals have become a focal point of anti-transgender legislation and activism.
More than 300 proposed bills across the country have targeted LGBTQ Americans in the last year, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Health care for trans youth in particular has become the target of such efforts.
Before the ages of 16-18, youth are treated with reversible treatments based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Irreversible medical interventions, such as surgeries, are typically only done with consenting adults, or older teens who have worked through the decision with their families and physicians over a long period of time, physicians across the country have told ABC News.
Despite these common practices, officials in many states have launched efforts to crack down on gender-affirming care for minors. Some legislators have cited disputed research on this topic, stating that the majority of gender dysphoric youth will grow out of their dysphoria. The methodology in these studies has been highly critiqued.
Major medical associations support gender-affirming care for youth and adults. Transgender youth tend to have high rates of suicide, but those who transition often experience significantly reduced psychological distress.
A recent large study from Harvard found that gender-affirming surgery was associated with improved mental health outcomes in those who are transgender.
Another recent large study from Harvard found that even among those who do go on to detransition, it is often due to external pressures such as stigma and non-acceptance in their environments, rather than a sudden resolution of gender dysphoria.
But that’s where “detransitioners” come in. Detransitioned activists have often testified in public hearings on policies concerning the transgender community.
“I was 30 and at the end of my rope when I transitioned … If I made this mistake as an adult, a young girl could too,” said one detransitioned speaker at the Oct. 28 Florida medical board hearing concerning a ban on gender affirming health care for youth. “Not only did my surgery exacerbate my mental health issues, I now struggle with physical complications as well.”
Another speaker at the hearing, who said she started gender-affirming treatments at the age of 16 and regrets it, spoke about struggling with her mental health while transitioning. She urged the board to ban hormones for people under 18 and surgeries for people under 21. “In 2019, I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus and began to find deep healing within myself. After nearly 4 years of being on testosterone, I decided to detransition and accept my womanhood,” she said.
The Florida Medical Board later passed a ban on gender-affirming care for youth. The decision would prohibit providers from administering gender affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormones, cross-hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for people under the age of 18.
“I never liked people who call transitioning mutilation or call trans bodies mutilated…A lot of them called trans people delusional,” Schevers said. “Living as a trans person was something that people did to survive and actually, I didn’t think of it as crazy or irrational because I had lived that life.”
She continued, “I get why someone would do this. Like, it did help me. I did get satisfaction from transitioning and I had to rationalize that experience and make it fit with this anti-trans ideology.”
Schevers said cracks began to show in her beliefs as more of the detransitioners and other activists she worked with began to partner with far-right groups like the Proud Boys on an anti-trans platform.
“That was kind of a huge wake-up call,” said Schevers. “It didn’t make sense to ally with the people who were creating the oppressive conditions.”
Her use of the hormone testosterone helped her embrace her gender queer identity, she now says.
When Schevers sees or hears anti-transgender detransitioners speak about their experiences, she thinks of her past self. She says she feels guilty, like she set the stage for them.
Schevers says she wants people to turn their attention to the dangers of anti-trans outreach to youth as well as the ongoing legislative attacks on trans Americans.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton also launched an effort to investigate gender-affirming youth care treatments as “child abuse” through the state department of child protective services. A state judge later issued a temporary injunction blocking the effort.
An Alabama law made it illegal to give any type of gender affirming care to anyone under the age of 18. This would criminalize parents and physicians.
Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, released a memo in June saying treatments like sex-reassignment surgery, and hormone and puberty blockers are not effective treatments for gender dysphoria.
These organizations say that research does show that the aforementioned gender-affirming treatments are safe and effective. Some, like the American Medical Association, even deem it “medically necessary.”
Gender exploration is an ongoing journey for Schevers, and she hopes the trans and gender queer youth in the U.S. continue to be able to access a journey of their own.
“I do feel more firmly rooted in who I am. It’s easier for me to accept myself as someone who has, like, multiple genders,” Schevers said.
(CHESAPEAKE, Va.) — A gunman shot and killed six people before turning the gun on himself at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Tuesday night, according to sources and local police.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that preliminary information indicates the gunman walked into the break room and opened fire at people before shooting himself. The suspect was an employee of that store and, possibly, a manager, the sources said.
The Chesapeake Police Department confirmed seven fatalities from the shooting, including the gunman. The suspect was believed to be a current employee and appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Nov 23, 8:52 AM EST
Four people remain hospitalized with injuries, police say
In addition to the seven fatalities, four people were wounded in Tuesday night’s shooting at a Chesapeake Walmart, according to police.
“While our investigation continues we can tell you the following: six victims have died, four victims are in area hospitals with conditions unknown at this time and the suspect is dead from what we believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky said during a press conference on Wednesday morning.
While police believe the suspect was a current employee of the store, Solesky would not confirm whether the victims were all employees as well. He told reporters that it’s unclear whether the shooting was a targeted or random attack.
Nov 23, 8:42 AM EST
Gunman may have been a store manager, sources say
Preliminary information indicates a gunman walked into the break room of a Chesapeake Walmart and opened fire at people before shooting himself, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
The suspect was an employee of that store and, possibly, a manager, according to the sources.
Law enforcement sources also told ABC News that authorities are investigating whether the shooting was a case of workplace violence.
Nov 23, 8:24 AM EST
Police confirm deceased suspect was an employee
The suspect in Tuesday night’s mass shooting at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle in Chesapeake is believed to be a current employee and appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Chesapeake Police Chief Mark Solesky.
“We have reason to believe that there’s no risk to the public at this time,” Soleksy said during a press conference on Wednesday morning. “We cannot tell you the identity of the shooter because his next of kin has not been notified.”
Police received the initial 911 call at 10:12 p.m. local time. Officers responded to the scene within two minutes and entered the store at 10:16 p.m. local time, where they found the deceased suspect and multiple victims. The scene was declared safe by 11:20 p.m. local time, according to Soleksy, who described the shooting as “senseless violence.”
“This investigation is still ongoing, so there’s no clear motive at this time,” he told reporters. “We’ll be processing that scene for days.”
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — The alleged gunman in a deadly shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado is scheduled to make his first court appearance virtually on Wednesday, court records show.
Five people were killed and 17 others wounded by gunfire in the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday night. Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
The suspect, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, is being held without bond on 10 “arrest only” charges: five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to online court records.
Aldrich is expected to have his first court appearance on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. local time, court records show. The hearing is to let him know the charges he’s facing and advise him on the no-bond status, Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, who serves El Paso and Teller counties, told ABC News.
The appearance will be done via video link from jail, according to the district attorney.
The district attorney’s office expects to file formal charges with the court within a few days of this first court appearance, Allen told reporters earlier this week. There may be more charges than what was initially included in the arrest warrant, he said.
“Very customary that final charges may be different than what’s in the arrest affidavit. Typically, there will be more charges than what is listed in the arrest affidavit. So don’t be surprised when you see a different list of charges when we finally file formal charges with the court,” he said.
The El Paso County District Court has sealed the arrest warrant and supporting documentation connected with Aldrich’s arrest. According to the motion by prosecutors, if the records were released, “it could jeopardize the ongoing case investigation.”
The gunman used a long rifle and was injured in the shooting, according to police. Two “heroes” — identified as Thomas James and Richard Fierro — confronted and fought with him, stopping him from shooting more people, police have said. Officers responded to the scene and detained Aldrich just after midnight and transported him to a local hospital, where he had been in custody in the days following the incident.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Springs Police Department said it had turned over custody of the suspect to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at the jail.
Colorado Springs police said Tuesday they do not expect to provide additional updates on the case until Monday.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told ABC News that the suspect “had considerable ammo” and “was extremely well armed.” While a motive remains under investigation, Suthers said “it has the trappings of a hate crime.”
The Colorado state public defender wrote in court filings released Tuesday that Aldrich is nonbinary.
In June 2021, Aldrich was arrested in an alleged bomb threat incident after their mother alerted authorities that they were “threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons and ammunition,” according to a press release posted online last year by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. While no explosives were found in his possession, Aldrich was booked into the El Paso County Jail on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.
Aldrich’s 2021 arrest may not have appeared on background checks because the case does not appear to have been adjudicated, officials briefed on the investigation have told ABC News.
ABC News and other news organizations have petitioned the court in Colorado to unseal the records regarding Aldrich’s 2021 arrest.
Allen told ABC News on Tuesday that after the suspect has their first court appearance, the DA will appeal to have Aldrich’s sealed 2021 records opened next week.
(CHESAPEAKE, Va.) — Seven people have died, including the shooter, after a shooting at the Walmart on Sam’s Circle in Chesapeake, Virginia, Tuesday night, police said.
A law enforcement source told ABC News that “preliminary info is it was an employee, possible manager, went in break room and shot other employees, and himself.”
Police could not confirm if the shooting was contained to one part of the store and said it’s “very fluid, very new right now.”
“It’s sad, we’re a couple days before the Thanksgiving holiday,” Kosinski said.
“We’re only a few hours into the response, so we don’t have all the answers yet,” the city of Chesapeake tweeted. “Chesapeake Police continue their investigation into the active shooter event at Walmart on Sam’s Circle. We do know there are multiple fatalities plus injuries and the shooter is confirmed dead.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is en route to the scene, ABC News can report.
“Our first responders are well-trained and prepared to respond. Our communications team is set up and will be releasing additional information as it’s confirmed,” Chesapeake Deputy Director of Public Communications Elizabeth Vaughn said in a statement.
Law enforcement sources tell ABC News authorities are investigating whether this was a case of working violence.
Chesapeake mayor Rick West issued a statement following the shooting, calling it a “senseless act of violence.”
“I am devastated by the senseless act of violence that took place late last night in our City,” West said in a statement on Twitter. “My prayers are with all those affected – the victims, their family, their friends, and their coworkers. I am grateful for the quick actions taken by our first responders who rushed to the scene. Cheaspeake is a tightknit community and we are all shaken by this news. Together, we will support each other throughout this time. Please keep us in your prayers.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also made a statement regarding the shooting on social media in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Our hearts break with the community of Chesapeake this morning. I remain in contact with law enforcement officials throughout this morning and have made available any resources as this investigation moves forward,” said Youngkin. “Heinous acts of violence have no place in our communities.”
(PHILADELPHIA) — A second busload of migrants from Texas arrived in Philadelphia this week, despite the city’s plea for coordination with the state amid Gov. Greg Abbott’s ongoing efforts to send asylum-seekers to Democratic-led areas, a city spokesperson said.
A Nov. 17 letter from Philadelphia Emergency Management Director Dominick Mireles to Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd implored the state official tasked with executing Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing of migrants to “uphold a core tenet of our shared profession: collaboration.”
Mireles asked his Texas counterpart to communicate with city officials if he planned to continue busing groups of migrants to the city, the letter obtained by ABC News shows. It appears to have been written a day after a bus traveling from Del Rio, Texas, arrived at a Philadelphia transit station transporting 28 migrants.
“Your bus of asylum seekers that arrived yesterday, November 16, 2022, took the City of Philadelphia and its partners by surprise. As you may have heard, a child required emergency medical care upon arrival,” Mireles wrote.
A spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia told ABC News that Texas officials have not responded to the letter as of Tuesday. A group of 46 migrants were bused to Philadelphia from Texas on Monday, Philadelphia officials said.
TDEM did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Since Abbott began directing his emergency management department to dispatch buses to Democrat-led cities as a way of calling attention to what he calls the Biden administration’s “open-border policies,” officials in Chicago, New York City, Washington D.C., and now Philadelphia, have had to accommodate the sudden increase of asylum seekers entering their shelter system without any formal coordination from Texas.
“The Lone Star State will continue doing more than any state in history to secure our border, including adding more sanctuary cities as drop-off locations for our busing strategy,” Abbott tweeted in announcing the first bus of migrants to Philadelphia.
Highlighting a lack of coordination, Mireles asked Kidd that, “Any bus scheduled for Philadelphia be directed to report to a safe and secure location of our choice, not a street corner that you have identified in a jurisdiction that you have no formalized connection to.”
Abbott has recently also decided to start busing migrants to an area close to the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the home of Vice President Kamala Harris. His busing efforts have left local non-profit organizations scrambling to find housing and provide resources the migrants need to reach their chosen destination where they need to complete the next steps in the asylum claim process.
Mireles listed 8 demands for TDEM, including that they give a 72-hour notice for any bus arriving in Philadelphia. Mireles also asked Kidd to screen travelers for medical conditions like COVID and RSV and to keep family units together during transportation.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney condemned Abbott’s efforts at press conference last week, calling it a “purposefully cruel policy” of using immigrant families for political gain.
“It is truly disgusting to hear today that Governor Abbott and his Administration continue to implement their purposefully cruel policy using immigrant families—including women and children—as pawns to shamelessly push his warped political agenda,” he said. “Sadly, racism and human cruelty have historically been intertwined in how immigrants are received by and within this country, something the previous presidential administration openly and actively encouraged.”
Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many of the migrants that have arrived in Philadelphia have been picked up by relatives or have gone on to other cities, but some remain at a welcoming center the city established as a temporary stop before they figure out next steps, the city said. Being just the latest city added to Abbott’s radar, city officials say they’re well positioned to receive migrants who arrive within their city limits.
“Since the summer, the City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Office of Emergency Management have been preparing for the potential arrival of migrants via unplanned and uncoordinated bus routes from southern states,” a spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia said in a statement. “The agencies have been meeting and coordinating regularly with nearly 15 local community-based organizations and partners to plan a local response, including preparations for immediate reception and shelter space, emergency health screening, food, water, and more.”
(MOSCOW, Idaho) — Police in Moscow, Idaho, said they have not been able to verify or identify a stalker of one of the slain University of Idaho students, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves.
“Investigators have looked extensively into information they received about Kaylee Goncalves having a stalker. They have pursued hundreds of pieces of information related to this topic and have not been able to verify or identify a stalker,” Moscow police said. “If you have information that can help detectives, please contact the tip line at 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.”
The update came after authorities said earlier in the day they were aware of reports of Goncalves possibly having a stalker.
“We’re aware of these various reports and we’re investigating,” Idaho State Police spokesman Aaron Snell told ABC News earlier Tuesday.
The other students killed in the off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13 were Ethan Chapin, 20; Chapin’s girlfriend, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Goncalves’ lifelong best friend, Madison Mogen, 21.
Although no suspects are in custody more than one week after the four students were stabbed to death, Snell said he remains “optimistic.”
“There is a piece of evidence out there somewhere that’s gonna help us solve this case,” he said.
Community members are in fear, Snell said, but they’re also patient. While police can’t release certain information, Snell said, “We continue to work hard and we want the community to know what we’re doing.”
More than 100 investigators, officers and support staff have fielded about 600 tips, officials said Sunday. As the tips pour in, each has been processed, vetted and cleared, according to the Moscow Police Department.
Investigators said they’re searching for surveillance video and are asking for tips from anyone “who observed suspicious behavior.”
Investigators have also released timelines detailing the whereabouts of the victims and the other students who lived at the off-campus house.
ABC News contributor and former FBI agent Brad Garrett told “Good Morning America” on Monday that the killer or killers may have been familiar with the layout of the house.
“It tells me that someone came into the house with a comfort level — that they probably knew their way around the house,” Garrett said.
The Moscow Police Department said it has dedicated four detectives, 24 patrol officers and five members of its support staff to the investigation. They’ve been joined by a wave of outside investigators, who’ve taken over Moscow, a college town with about 25,000 residents.
The FBI sent 22 investigators to Moscow, according to the local police. Another 20 agents were working on the case but located in Treasure Valley, Idaho; Salt Lake City, Utah; and West Virginia. Two members of an FBI behavior analysis unit were also working on the case, police said.
The murder weapon remains missing, police said.
Two roommates were in the house at the time of the murders and appeared to have slept through the crimes, according to police.
A 911 call on Nov. 13 from inside the house was made on one of the surviving roommates’ cellphones, police said. The roommates told authorities that someone was passed out and wouldn’t wake up, officials said.
“Multiple people talked with the 911 dispatcher before a Moscow Police officer arrived at the location,” officials said. “Officers entered the residence and found the four victims on the second and third floors.”
Garrett said investigators should be broadening their search outside the victims’ immediate circle of friends and family.
“You’re going to have to start spreading out to people they had just a casual relationship with,” he said.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro, Kayna Whitworth, Connor Burton, John Capell, Melissa Gaffney, Marilyn Heck, Izzy Alvarez and Flor Tolentino contributed to this report.
(HINGHAM, Mass.) — A man has been charged after his SUV plowed into an Apple store in Hingham, Massachusetts, on Monday, killing one and injuring many others, prosecutors said.
The driver, 53-year-old Bradley Rein, told police that his 2019 Toyota 4Runner barreled through the glass wall and into the store when his foot got stuck on the accelerator, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.
People both inside and outside of the store were injured, and a few people were pinned up against the wall of the store, according to Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murphy. Bystanders helped provide first aid, Murphy said.
Eighteen people were taken to hospitals on Monday; eight patients remain hospitalized as of Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Officials at South Shore Hospital said it received patients with head trauma, “mangled limbs” and life-threatening injuries.
Rein pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to reckless homicide by a motor vehicle and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, prosecutors said.
Kevin Bradley, 65, of New Jersey, was identified as the man killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Rein is next in court on Dec. 22.
Hingham is about 20 miles southwest of Boston.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A young child in California has died of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, health officials said.
In a release Tuesday, Riverside University Health System – Public Health did not disclose the child’s name, city of residence or sex, just that they were under age 4.
Additionally, officials did not reveal details about the child’s illness aside from the fact that they died at a local hospital “after contracting a respiratory illness that is possibly linked to Respiratory Syncytial Virus.”
Jose Arballo Jr., spokesman for RUHS – Public Health, told ABC News the death occurred late last week but was only officially released to the public on Tuesday.
He added that the child was experiencing “several days of symptoms” before being brought to the hospital and was only hospitalized for “a short period of time” before they died.
“The loss of a child is devastating and all of Public Health sends its heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones and anyone impacted by this tragic event,” Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County, said in a statement.
The death comes as infections of RSV continue to spread across the country. Public health officials have said the season has started much earlier than usual, with autumn cases on par with those usually seen in January or February.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, weekly RSV cases nationwide have risen from 5,872 the week ending Oct. 1 to 16,512 the week ending Nov. 5.
In California, the five-week average of positive RSV tests has increased from 353.3 the week ending Oct. 1 to 1,335 the week ending Nov. 5, CDC data shows.
The surge has led to several hospitals operating at or near capacity and emergency departments with long wait times.
Health experts have said RSV is emerging earlier and affecting more children than typical because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, there was little to no RSV activity due to lockdowns, school closures and mitigation measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. Now, with most of these measures lifted, children are being exposed to viruses like RSV for the first time.
“That just leaves a lot of children, young children in particular, that have been born since March of 2020 who haven’t yet encountered RSV infections,” Dr. Larry Kociolek, medical director of Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, told ABC News in a recent interview. “And so that will increase the ability of the virus to spread and increase the number of children who will get infected.”
Although deaths are not common and usually occur among those with pre-existing conditions, between 100 and 500 pediatric deaths are attributed to RSV every year, according to the CDC.
This is not the first reported death from RSV in the U.S. Earlier this month, California reported a pediatric death from a combination of RSV and the flu with deaths also reported in Michigan and Oklahoma.
Arballo Jr. said the county is also investigating the death of a child under the age of 10 who tested positive for RSV.
The county is asking families over the holiday season to be very careful around babies and young children, who are particularly susceptible to RSV. Arballo Jr. said adults should consider wearing a face mask and frequent hand washing, and advised against handling children if ill.
(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) — The 22-year-old who is suspected of gunning down multiple people at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado’s second-largest city has been moved from the hospital to the local jail, police announced Tuesday.
The suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, who was allegedly beaten by people inside the bar after opening fire, is being held without bond on 10 “arrest only” charges: five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to online court records. However, those charges “are only preliminary,” according to Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, who serves El Paso and Teller counties.
“There have been reports that charges have been filed. That is not true,” Allen said at a press conference Monday. “Any case like this, an arrest warrant will be written up that is supported by probable cause affidavit and that will be submitted to a judge for approval of the arrest of a suspect. That has occurred here in this case.”
“Any charges associated with an arrest warrant are only preliminary charges,” he added. “Very customary that final charges may be different than what’s in the arrest affidavit. Typically, there will be more charges than what is listed in the arrest affidavit. So don’t be surprised when you see a different list of charges when we finally file formal charges with the court.”
The Colorado state public defender wrote in court filings released Tuesday that Aldrich is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and “will be addressed as Mx. Aldrich” in formal filings.
Aldrich is expected to have their first court appearance on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. local time, court records show. Allen told ABC News the appearance is to let Aldrich know the charges they’re facing and advise them on the no bond status.
The appearance will be done via video link from jail, according to the district attorney.
“Within a few days of that first appearance is when we will return to the courtroom and file formal charges with the court,” he added.
Aldrich allegedly began shooting a long gun as soon as they entered Club Q in Colorado Springs late Saturday night. At least five people were killed and 17 others were wounded by the gunshots, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department, which named the deceased victims as Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance.
Police said “two heroes” — identified as Thomas James and Richard Fierro — confronted Aldrich and fought with them, stopping the suspect from shooting more people. Officers responded to the scene and detained Aldrich just after midnight, less than six minutes after the first 911 call came in, according to police. Aldrich sustained “significant” but non-life-threatening injuries, Allen told ABC News.
Fierro, who served in the military, said he grabbed the suspect’s pistol from them and beat them. Fierro’s daughter’s boyfriend was among the five killed.
President Joe Biden spoke to Fierro to offer his condolences and thank “him for his bravery,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Tuesday.
The El Paso County district court has sealed the arrest warrant and supporting documentation connected with Aldrich’s arrest. According to the motion by prosecutors, if the records were “released, it could jeopardize the ongoing case investigation.”
In June 2021, Aldrich was arrested in an alleged bomb threat incident after their mother alerted authorities that they were “threatening to cause harm to her with a homemade bomb, multiple weapons, and ammunition,” according to a press release posted online last year by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. While no explosives were found in his possession, Aldrich was booked into the El Paso County Jail on two counts of felony menacing and three counts of first-degree kidnapping, according to the sheriff’s office.
Aldrich’s 2021 arrest may not have appeared on background checks because the case does not appear to have been adjudicated, officials briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
ABC News and other news organizations have petitioned the court in Colorado to unseal the records regarding Aldrich’s 2021 arrest.
Allen told ABC News on Tuesday that after the suspect has their first court appearance, the DA will appeal to have Aldrich’s sealed 2021 records opened next week.
Colorado’s red flag law, which went into effect in 2020, allows relatives, household members and law enforcement to ask a judge to order the seizure of a gun owner’s weapons if that owner is believed to be a risk to themself or others. It’s unclear whether that law would have stopped the suspect from targeting Club Q, according to El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder, who did not recall the circumstances surrounding Aldrich’s 2021 arrest when asked by ABC News.
Club Q has been serving the Colorado Springs community for two decades and was considered a safe haven for LGBTQ people. The nightspot hosts a weekly drag show and live DJ on Saturday nights, according to its website.
Club Q co-owner Nic Grzecka told ABC News that Aldrich was a stranger to their long-established venue.
“He’s never spent money on a credit card or ID ever scanned in our business that we know of,” Grzecka said in an interview on Sunday. “I think this was a community of target for him.”
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told ABC News that the suspect “had considerable ammo” and “was extremely well armed” when they allegedly walked into Club Q. While a motive remains under investigation, Suthers said “it has the trappings of a hate crime.”
“But we’re going to have to see what the investigation shows in terms of, you know, social media and things like that to make a clear determination exactly what the motive was,” the mayor said in an interview on Monday.
ABC News’ Matt Gutman, Irving Last, Josh Margolin, Alyssa Pone, Tonya Simpson, Stephanie Wash, Robert Zepeda and Ashley Riegel contributed to this report.
