Porn star, meth addict dad of alleged LGBT club killer is 'relieved' that son is not gay and says that 'violence works'
24 November 2022, 13:25 | Updated: 24 November 2022, 13:27
The meth-addicted, porn star father of the person who is accused of gunning down five people in an LGBTQ club said he was relieved to find out his son was not there because he was gay.
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Aaron Brink, the father of alleged Club Q killer Anderson Lee Aldrich, said that he was a Mormon and conservative Republican - and "we don't do gay."
Mr Brink, who was previously an adult performer under the name Dick Delaware and is now a martial arts coach, said there was no excuse for Aldrich's actions, but added that "violence works".
The former porn star has spoken out about his meth addiction and has been in and out of prison.
Read more: Five killed and 18 injured in mass shooting in gay club
Extended excerpts | CBS 8 interview with Aaron Brink, father of alleged Club Q gunman
He told CBS: "I praised him for violent behaviour really early. I told him it works. It is instant and you'll get immediate results."
Mr Brink left Aldrich's mother shortly after she gave birth, has not been in contact with Aldrich for years.
He said the first he heard about the shooting was when a defence lawyer said that Aldrich had been arrested.
Mr Brink added: "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'."
Mr Brink said that being gay was not compatible with his religion.
He told the reporter: "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."
Brink has not been an active member of the Mormon church for some time, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
In court documents filed that day, it was revealed that Aldrich identifies as 'non-binary' - meaning that they consider themselves neither male nor female.
Aldrich changed names from Nicholas Franklin Brink in 2016.
An anonymous relative of Aldrich told The Daily Beast that they were 'totally disgusted" by his alleged shooting, which left five dead and 25 wounded.
"I don't want anything to do with that part of the family," the relative said.
"They've always had issues, a lot of problems. I'm totally disgusted by that side of the family right now.
In Brink's interview he apologised for his son's actions and said that there was "no excuse for going and killing people.
"'If you're killing people, there's something wrong, it's not the answer," he said.
Aldrich is facing possible hate crime charges and has been ordered to be held without bail.
In an initial court appearance on Wednesday the suspect sat slumped over in a chair with injuries visible on their face and head.
Aldrich appeared to need prompting by defence lawyers during a brief video appearance from jail.
He offered a slurred response when asked to state their name by El Paso County Court Judge Charlotte Ankeny.
The suspect was beaten into submission by patrons during Saturday night's shooting at Club Q and released from hospital on Tuesday.
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The weekend assault took place at a nightclub known as a sanctuary for the LGBTQ community in a mostly conservative city of about 480,000, roughly 70 miles south of Denver.
The attack was halted by two club patrons including Richard Fierro, who told reporters that he took a handgun from Aldrich, hit them with it and pinned them down with help from another person until police arrived.
The victims were Raymond Green Vance, 22, a Colorado Springs native who was saving money to get his own apartment; Ashley Paugh, 35, a mother who helped find homes for foster children; Daniel Aston, 28, who had worked at the club as a bartender and entertainer; Kelly Loving, 40, whose sister described her as "caring and sweet"; and Derrick Rump, 38, another club bartender known for his wit.
Hate crime charges would require proving that Aldrich was motivated by bias, such as against the victims’ actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
The hearing date has been set for December 6.
