Wednesday morning marked the beginning of the multi-day preliminary hearing of accused Club Q shooter, Anderson Aldrich.

The courtroom was at capacity with more than 40 in attendance including victims along with their family and friends and reporters. The shooting three months ago at the popular LGBTQ+ nightclub on North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs left five dead and more than a dozen injured. Aldrich appeared in custody in an orange jumpsuit and shaved head.

The morning started with a request for a continuance from Aldrich’s defense attorney Joseph Archambault, the third such request since Aldrich’s arrest in November. Archambault requested the continuance over an issue with a potential witness the defense planned to call on but was told would not be able to testify.

The request for a continuance was denied, but Judge Michael McHenry took the request under advisement and said he would reevaluate at the conclusion of the prosecution’s evidence and testimony.

See below for tweets from the courtroom from Gazette reporter Zach Dupont and scroll further for more of the story. Click or tap here to follow @ZachNDupont on Twitter.

The first witness to testify on Wednesday was Colorado Springs police officer Connor Wallick, who was one of the first responders to Club Q the night of Nov. 19. Wallick testified that when he arrived he first saw a man who informed him that the suspect was already on the ground.

Wallick testified that after entering Club Q he could hear screaming and crying from the patrons within the nightclub and loud music. Wallick was told that the suspect had been apprehended by a patron of the club.

Wallick testified that he eventually found the suspect who was pinned down, was wearing a ballistic vest, was in possession of “an AR-15 style rifle,” and had a grenade. Wallick said that Aldrich was not complying with his commands, and that he had to be forcibly detained with handcuffs.

Wallick testified that the person he placed in handcuffs was Aldrich, pointing them out inside the courtroom.

After the arrest, Aldrich allegedly told Wallick that they were not the shooter and that the person on top of Aldrrich was the shooter, and that the shooter was still hiding within the club. Wallick said despite these claims he knew Aldrich was the correct suspect.

While Aldrich was being detained Wallick stated that Aldrich was bleeding significantly from their head and that Aldrich claimed they were shot and would “succumb to their injuries” if they weren’t helped immediately. Wallick testified that although Aldrich was bleeding it was clear they had not been shot.

During the entire interaction, Wallick testified that Aldrich never once took responsibility for the shooting.

Jason Gasper, a detective with Colorado Springs police, was the prosecution’s second witness of the morning, and he reviewed photographs from the scene of Club Q following the shooting. The photos included numerous blood stains and bullet cartridges scattered across the entirety of the nightclub, as well as pictures of the bodies of all five victims of the Club Q shooting.

Daniel Davis Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump and Raymond Green Vance were killed in the shooting.

While the photos were being displayed Aldrich could be seen having a visibly emotional reaction, rocking back and forth and at one point taking a tissue from one of their attorneys.

Photos were also shown from the inside of Aldrich’s apartment which included numerous signs of gun ownership, a rainbow-colored target, a black mask, a ghillie suit and a hand-drawn map of the inside of Club Q. Additionally, a picture of a hand-written note by Aldrich with the words “how long must I wait,” was shared.

Surveillance footage from inside Club Q was entered into evidence but not played to the court. However, screenshots from the video showed Aldrich entering the club in a ballistic vest while holding an AR-15-style rifle. Another screenshot shows Aldrich aiming down the sights of the AR-15 rifle within the club while shooting.

During cross-examination Michael Bowman, a defense attorney representing Aldrich, entered a screenshot of Club Q’s surveillance footage into evidence showing Aldrich at the bar of Club Q on Oct. 29, 2022, three weeks before the shooting.

Throughout cross-examination Bowman attempted to point at a lack of evidence showing that Aldrich’s motives for the shooting were due to a hatred of the LGBTQ+ community; potentially to dispute the numerous bias-motivated crime charges Aldrich currently faces.

The third witness of the day was Colorado Springs police detective Ashton Gardner, who reviewed all of the Club Q shooting victims with the prosecuting attorney to establish where they were at the time of the shooting, what they were doing and the extent of the injuries they sustained.

Gardner reviewed numerous victims’ gut-wrenching stories from the night of the shooting, including that of a mother who was shot in the face attempting to help her daughter flee the club, and the man who — U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas James — was shot in the stomach while attempting to apprehend Aldrich within the club and the man — Barrett Hudson — who was shot seven times while fleeing the club, but survived.

During the description of the victims’ injuries Aldrich again could be seen getting visibly emotional, accepting several tissues and shaking throughout the testimony of detective Gardner.

Aldrich’s preliminary hearing was expected to last at least two days, but District Attorney Michael Allen stated before the lunch break that the prosecution may be able to complete its side of the hearing before the end of the day. Whether the remainder of the hearing will be continued because of the defense witness who is unable to testify this week remains to be seen.

If McHenry at the end of the preliminary hearing opts to bind over Aldrich on the 323 charges, Aldrich’s attorneys will then be forced to enter a plea at an arraignment at a later date.

Prosecutors have mentioned over the past few months that the mental competency of Aldrich could play a role after the preliminary hearing, implying that Aldrich may plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Aldrich, who was 22 years old at the time of the shooting, originally faced 305 charges. But since the time of Aldrich’s arrest, the prosecution has added 18 charges. Aldrich remains in custody at the El Paso County jail.

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