'Violence works': Colorado club killer's porn star dad says 'I praised him for his violent behavior' as he reveals his biggest worry was that his son was gay

2 bartenders who were among 5 killed and 25 wounded in mass shooting at gay club by suspect brandishing an AR-15 who was known to authorities

The porn star father of the Colorado mass shooter said his biggest fear was that his son was gay after discovering he slaughtered five people at an LGBTQ club night.

Aaron Brink, the father of Club Q killer Anderson Lee Aldrich, said he is a 'Mormon' and a 'conservative republican', clarifying: 'We don't do gay.'

The adult actor from Southern California who performed under the name Dick Delaware has spoken previously about his addiction to meth and has been in and out of prison.

The 48-year-old, who currently works as a mixed martial arts coach and previously competed in the UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting, taught his son how to fight from an early age. 

The drug addict told CBS 8: 'I praised him for violent behavior really early. I told him it works. It is instant and you'll get immediate results.'

Brink, who left Aldrich's mother Laura Voepel shortly after she gave birth, has an extensive criminal history and has also appeared on the reality shows Divorce Court and Intervention, when his fiancée tried to get him to stop using crystal meth.

In 2002, he was convicted for misdemeanor battery and was barred from contacting his ex-wife and son, and he was also sentenced to two and a half years for trafficking marijuana and then violated his supervised release conditions by testing positive for illegal steroids.

He said he learned of the mass shooting after a defense attorney told him his son had been arrested. 

He said: 'They started telling me about the incident, a shooting involving multiple people.

'And then I go on to find out it's a gay bar. I said, 'God, is he gay?' I got scared, 'Sh*t, is he gay?' And he's not gay, so I said, 'Phhhewww'.'

Aldrich's father went on to say that being gay did not align with their religious values. 

'You know Mormons don't do gay. We don't do gay. There's no gays in the Mormon church. We don't do gay.' 

Aaron Brink, the father of Club Q killer Anderson Lee Aldrich, said he is a 'Mormon' and a 'conservative republican', clarifying: 'We don't do gay'

Aaron Franklin Brink expressed relief when he realized his son is 'not gay' when he first heard the 22-year-old 'massacred five people and injured 18 at a gay club'

 Brink has a sordid past, including mixed martial arts, drugs, reality TV and porn, which led 22-year-old Aldrich to change their name

Brink apologized to the victims of the club shooting expressing that he had 'let his son down' and said that he had believed he was dead, until a recent call which became heated 

A defense attorney had called Brink, who lives in Southern California, to tell him that Anderson Lee Aldrich (pictured) was under arrest for the massacre at Club Q 

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Five dead and 18 injured after gunman opened fire inside gay club

Two bartenders killed in the deadly mass shooting at a LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs have been pictured - hours after police confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect.

Derrick Rump and Daniel Aston were among the five killed Saturday night at Club Q in what appeared to be a premediated attack, carried out by a single gunman armed with an AR-15.

Both men worked as bartenders at the establishment and are so far the only two named victims of the attack - which occurred on the eve of The Transgender Day of Remembrance, at 11:57pm. Aston, 28, was a trans man.

The shooting is now being investigated as a hate crime - with sole suspect Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, currently in police custody.

Police have also revealed that Aldrich was subdued by at least two heroic patrons who confronted him during the mayhem, and are credited with saving lives. At least five were confirmed Sunday to be among the dead, with a further 25 injured.  

As cops look to glean a motive for the tragedy, relatives and members of the LGBTQ community affected by the horrors have offered heartfelt tributes for those slain - with Rump and Aston the first to be named.

Aldrich, meanwhile, remains in custody at a local hospital for unknown injuries. He was previously arrested in June 2021 for a bomb threat but was never formally charged. It is not clear when he was apprehended by lawmen.

Derrick Rump (left) and Daniel Aston (right) were among the five killed Saturday night at Club Q in the seemingly premediated attack, carried out by a single gunman armed with an AR-15

Both men worked as bartenders at the establishment and are so far the only two named victims of the attack - which occurred on the eve of The Transgender Day of Remembrance, at 11:57pm. Aston (pictured here in this photo posted by a mourner), was a trans man. The shooting is currently being investigated as a hate crime

Derrick Rump, the only other victim to be named in the attack, like Aston, was 'active in the local LGBTQ community' and beloved by those who knew him. Police have since revealed that the suspect who allegedly carried out the attack was subdued by at least two heroic patrons who confronted and subdued him, and are credited with saving lives

A worker at Club Qu, which is billed as a 'happening gay nightclub' on its website, paid tribute to his two slain colleagues Sunday, sharing a picture of Rump and Aston to Facebook.

The post featured a photo of the pair behind Club Q's bar, as well as an accompanying caption mourning the loss.

'My boys are gone,' the tribute read. 'Plz (sic) take care of each other. I love you both so much.'

A friend of Rump also posted a tribute to his late friend, who, like Aston, was a member of the local LGBTQ community. 

'Two beautiful souls were taken from us last night,' the poster wrote, adding that while he did not know Aston well, 'both [would] be missed.'

The poster would go on to paint a picture of Rump from accounts of those who knew him, describing him as 'an amazing person with a big heart.' 

Tributes have flooded in as cops look to glean a motive for the mayhem. Relatives and members of the LGBTQ community affected by the tragedy, meanwhile, have offered heartfelt tributes for those slain - with Rump and Aston the first to be named

They went on to cite how Rump, again, like Aston, was 'active in the local LGBTQ community' and 'loved by some of my friends.'

'My heart hurts for them,' the mourner wrote, before going on to offer a tribute to Aston, a trans man who recently moved to Colorado from his native Oklahoma and had since blossomed into a beloved stalwart of the local gay and trans communities.

'Derrick, you always treated me so sweetly and brightened up my days when I'd come out and see you at the Club,' the poster remembered, writing that Aston 'always made sure I was taken care of and not just as a bar patron.

'As a friend. I'll miss you and your smile that could light up the darkest of your rooms, and your laugh that rubbed off on everyone around you. Love you always. RIP to them both.'

Aston's mother, Sabrina Aston, described her son to ABC News as the youngest of their family, who was able to make friends quickly after moving because of his magnetic personality. According to his social media, the 28-year-old had his top surgery in 2021.

Another friend remembered both men fondly as 'two of the sweetest souls I have ever met.'

The shooting is now being investigated as a hate crime, leaving members of local LGBTQ community devastated

A s cops look to glean a motive for the tragedy, relatives and members of the LGBTQ community affected by the horrors have offered heartfelt tributes for those slain - with Rump and Aston the first to be named

A service was held Sunday at All Souls Unitarian Church after the overnight shooting, which left five dead and 25 injured

Light shined through a church window illuminating the dozens of community members that gathered for the Sunday service

Governor tells churchgoers shooting a 'senseless act of evil'

Bargoer Joshua Thurman survived the deadly attack by hiding in a dressing room with two other scared survivors,  and spoke to reporters about the unrest that transpired after the first shots rang out. 

Thurman, 34, said he had been dancing on the dancefloor when he first heard about four or five gunshots.

'I thought it was the music because there were no screams, no shouts of 'Help, help,' nothing like that,' he said. 'Then I heard more shots and saw the flash from the muzzle of the gun.'

'When I realized what was going on, I ran to the dressing room immediately. There was a customer that followed me, and there was a drag performer, Del Lusional, who was in the dressing room. I made them lock the doors and we got down on the floor and cut out the lights immediately.'

Police have revealed that the gunman was subdued by at least two patrons who confronted him during the mayhem, and are credited with saving lives. Pictured are mourners laying wreaths for the five slain in the mass shooting

Mourners cry at an outdoor procession Sunday outside the bar, which is billed as a 'happening gay nightclub' on its website

The venue in Colorado Springs is important to the city's local LGBTQ community - with many, including the two deceased bartenders, considering it a home

From their hiding spot, Thurman said: 'We heard everything, we heard more shots fired, we heard the assailant be beat up by someone who I assume tackled him, we heard the police come in, we heard them yelling at him, we heard then saying 'Check certain people, 'cause they're critical,' we heard everything.

'And all I can think about is everything — my life, just everything, friends, family, loved ones,' the distraught man said through tears.

By the time they got out of the dressing room, Thurman said he saw bodies on the ground. 

'There was broken glass, blood — I lost friends!' 

Joshua Thurman, a survivor of the Club Q shooting Saturday night, was seen wiping away tears on Sunday

Thurman told reporters on Sunday how he was able to run from the gunman and hide in a dressing room

Thurman said he went to the club that night to celebrate his birthday when a gunman entered and started firing an unknown number of bullets from his AR-15-style long rifle

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It is unclear how the suspect was injured, though early reports suggest the gunmen was subdued by patrons inside the club, which had been sponsoring a drag show earlier in the night. 

Numerous victims, some in critical condition, were transported to nearby hospitals. The medical facilities are currently working to notify families of their loved ones' conditions. 

Authorities are treating the scene as a mass casualty event, which is defined as an incident in which the number of people killed or injured overwhelms the capacity of local authorities.

FBI agents are 'already on scene' and assisting with the investigation, which Colorado Springs Lieutenant Pamela Castro told the media is in the preliminary stage.

Police are expected to provide more updates during a press conference today around 8am local time.

They say it is too early to determine if the shooting was a targeted hate crime. 

Five people have died after a gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado last night 

At least 18 people were injured after shots were fired inside Club Q (pictured last night) in Colorado Springs just before midnight, a police spokesperson has confirmed 

On its Facebook page, a statement from Club Q sad it was 'devastated by the senseless attack on our community

ive people have died after a gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Colorado last night.

At least 18 people were injured after shots were fired at Club Q in Colorado Springs just before midnight, a police spokesperson has confirmed. 

The suspected gunman, who has not yet been publicly identified, is in custody and currently being treated at a local hospital.