Club Q shooting suspect Anderson Aldrich chocked his own mother, claims dad

The accused murderer of four people in a gay bar in Colorado, Anderson Aldrich, had "plenty of rage," according to his father, Aaron Franklin Brink. Brink also said that they even choked their own mother during one particularly violent episode. Speaking to the New York Post, Brink recalled that Laura Voepel, his ex-wife, had called him a year earlier to say that Aldrich had gotten more violent. Brink, a former pornstar and MMA fighter, expressed regret for his ex-wife having to deal with Aldrich's aggressive behavior. Explaining the violent character of the Club Q shooter, Brink said that “She said he was really nuts. He was really aggressive and she complained about him. I don’t condone violence. … She said he was (really violent towards her) and I said, ‘He was? Well, I feel sorry for you.’ … He did choke her.” When Aldrich's grandparents announced their plans to sell their home and move to Florida in 2021, he allegedly threatened to kill them, according to a history of violence. His grandmother called the police and said that their grandson "had been collecting ammunition, firearms, and bullet-proof body armor and stockpiling everything in the basement of the property" and was "going to be the next mass killer." As Brink thinks back to the chat he had with his son approximately five or six months ago, Aldrich informed him that they needed to see him immediately. Was a little awkward for me, he remarked. The last time they spoke, she said, "There was something wrong with him. They had been estranged for more than ten years, so Brink thought this request was odd. He claims that the talk quickly descended into an argument when Aldrich made a disparaging remark about Brink's new wife. Regarding Brink's attempts to contact his son, he said, "I really tried more emailing him. He's been somewhat toxic... It came too late and too little. I believe we already lost the chance. I believe he was looking to avenge himself at the moment. In an effort to make it work, I needed to see him. The 48-year-old MMA fighter claimed that even though Aldrich once expressed interest in snipers and expressed a desire to enlist in the military, he did not know whether his son had any firearms on him. However, on November 19, after reportedly entering Club Q in Colorado Springs, US Army veteran Richard M. Fierro and US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas James subdued Aldrich. With a machine gun, he started shooting, leaving dozens of people injured and five people dead. The court trial for Aldrich starts on December 6. They are to be charged formally, with the possibility of first degree murder and hate crimes. They're still being held without any bond restrictions. Aldrich’s defense attorneys revealed they are non-binary and used the they-them pronouns during a court hearing last week at El Paso County District Court. When asked if he knew that Aldrich identified as non-binary, Brink said he was "old school" and had no idea what non-binary meant. “There are no questions if you’re a man or a woman … no question about that. He has my genetics, so he’s gonna be pretty heterosexual," Brink added. “I’m not anti-gay at all. I don’t have any issues with gay people. I will not participate [in] homosexuality and I prefer my son not to do the same thing … I was really very relieved to know that he wasn’t gay," he continued as he has received huge criticism over prior comments he made in this regard that were “misconstrued” as anti-gay. “Everybody’s lives matter. Your life matters. The gender you are… gay or straight … I have a heart. My heart goes out to the victims. Words can’t describe how sorry I am," he added.