Colorado Springs shooting: Third victim named as trans woman Kelly Loving
Kelly Loving was killed in the Colorado Springs shooting. (Twitter)
A third victim killed in the Colorado Springs shooting has been named as Kelly Loving.
Loving was a trans woman who was visiting Club Q in Colorado Springs when a gunman opened fire, killing a total of five people and injuring at least 25 more, on Saturday (19 November).
Bartenders Daniel Aston, a trans man, and Derrick Rump have also been identified, with the other two victims killed yet to be named.
Loving’s sister, Tiffany Loving, confirmed to the New York Times that she had been informed by the FBI of her death.
“She was loving, always trying to help the next person out instead of thinking of herself. She just was a caring person,” she said.
Loving had recently moved to Denver, the Times said, and had visited Club Q during a weekend trip to Colorado Springs.
Her close friend Natalee Skye Bingham had used social media to reach out to the community after being unable to get hold of Loving, before learning that she had died in the shooting.
“I’m so devastated because she was such a good person,” she said.
“She was going to be at my house for Thanksgiving this upcoming Thursday and, now, it’s one less person at my table.”
Bingham said the two friends had been on a video call minutes before the gunman opened fire in the nightclub, and that the last thing she told Loving was: “Be safe. I love you.”
Bingham described Loving as “like a trans mother to me”, explaining that LGBTQ+ people often choose their own families.
She said: “I looked up to her… it’s like I lost my real mother almost.
“She was a tough woman. She taught me how it was to be a trans woman and live your life day to day.”
Gillian Branstetter, of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), noted on Twitter: “Nearly every trans person is a resource for other trans people–we all show each other new ways of being and becoming. Kelly Loving is one of the countless trans women whose loss destabilizes an entire community of people.
“Trans people have no one as much as we have each other. We build our communities, we grow our knowledge, we maintain our archive, we keep us safe.”
The Colorado Springs shooting took place on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance.
A suspect was later identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, though a motive has not been confirmed by police. He was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries sustained during the shooting.
