TULSA, Okla. — Downtown Tulsa's Club Majestic held a candlelight vigil Sunday night to honor the victims of the shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs late Saturday night.
Dozens of people filled what's usually a vibrant dance floor, holding candles and remembering those lost in this shooting.
Colorado Springs police arrested Anderson Lee Aldrich after they say he opened fire in Club Q, killing five people and hurting 25 others. Police say he used a rifle and they found two other handguns at the scene.
MORE >>> Club Q was known as a safe space for LGBTQ individuals before mass shooting
“It was really heart-wrenching to see that tonight but you know, the place where violence happened can be also a place of healing," said All Souls minister Randy Lewis. "We’ll come together as a community, we’ll love those who are wounded, we’ll care for those because we are a family, indeed we are a family.
Lewis said Sunday night's vigil was a showing of strength against what attendees say is an evil that continuously targets the LGBTQ community across the country.
Several people got up on stage to share stories of hope and resilience including Pastor Lewis and Pastor Chris Moore.
Pastor Moore says while this shooting is being felt closer to home knowing one of the victims, it’s the community that was targeted that hurts even more and they still would’ve gathered had they not known a victim because the LGBTQ community is a family.
“6 years ago when the Pulse nightclub shooting happened, we were in this same space holding this kind of vigil when we didn’t know any of those names personally," Moore said. "So there's a way in which yeah it does make those things happen more quickly because we know the person, but as Randy was saying we do know those people, we know all of those people.”
Pastor Lewis says if they travel and they go to another gay bar it's home no matter where they are.
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Pastor Moore explains the gay community has seen its fair share of tragedy and hate. Despite that, they will come back stronger from this and continue spreading love and light and never letting fear and hate win. Pastor Lewis adds that the LGBTQ community is brave because they are not going to let this type of tragedy continue to happen.
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