What we know about the victims of the Colorado Springs Club Q shooting - NBC News

The victims of the shooting astatine the LGBTQ-friendly Club Q successful Colorado Springs see 2 bartenders, the parent of an 11-year-old miss and 2 different clubgoers who were enjoying a carefree nighttime earlier a lone gunman started firing indiscriminately.

The shooting near 19 different radical injured and a assemblage successful mourning.

"Too often nine loses way of the victims of these bittersweet and tragic events successful each the speech of the suspect," Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said astatine a Monday day quality conference. "We strive to springiness the victims the dignity and respect they deserve."

Daniel Aston, 28

Daniel Aston.Jeff Aston via AP

Two years ago, Daniel Aston moved from his autochthonal Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Colorado Springs, wherever helium started moving astatine Club Q arsenic a bartender and entertainer, his ma told The Associated Press.

"He lit up a room, ever smiling, ever blessed and silly," said his mom, Sabrina Aston, who lives successful Colorado Springs.

She recalled however liberated helium seemed arsenic helium slid crossed the club's signifier connected his knees, delighting the crowd.

Sabrina Aston described the sidesplitting of her son, a transgender man, arsenic a "nightmare that you can't aftermath up from."

"I support reasoning it's just, it's a mistake. They've made a mistake and that he's truly alive," she told the AP.

She said she archetypal heard astir the onslaught aboriginal Sunday, erstwhile 1 of her son's friends called to archer her that Aston was successful the hospital. She rushed to Memorial Hospital to beryllium with him, but she was told to hold astatine location for an update.

She learned aboriginal that greeting that helium had died.

Kelly Loving, 40

Kelly Loving.Family photo

Kelly Loving's sister, Tiffany Loving, told The New York Times that she learned of her sibling's decease from the FBI connected Sunday.

"She was loving, ever trying to assistance the adjacent idiosyncratic out, alternatively of reasoning of herself," Tiffany Loving told The Times. "She conscionable was a caring person. I was truly adjacent with her."

Natalee Skye Bingham, 1 of Loving's adjacent friends, told NBC News connected Tuesday that she spoke to her via FaceTime conscionable minutes earlier the gunman opened fire. Bingham, 25, recalled her last words to Loving earlier they hung up: "Be safe, I emotion you."

Bingham said she archetypal met Loving, a transgender woman, erstwhile they were moving astatine the aforesaid nine successful Florida astir a decennary ago.

"She was specified a beauteous trans woman," Bingham said. "She could beryllium intimidating due to the fact that she was truthful gorgeous. But she was the nonstop opposite. She was warm, welcoming, and she took maine nether her wing."

Loving, similar galore trans people, recovered herself the people of violence, Bingham said, including a erstwhile shooting and a stabbing. "But she survived each that," Bingham said.

Bingham said she relocated from Florida to Colorado aft she survived the massacre astatine Pulse, a cheery nightclub successful Orlando, successful June 2016. Bingham settled successful Denver, and Loving precocious moved there, too.

The 2 friends were expected to walk Thanksgiving together. Now, Bingham said, she is determined to wage tribute to Loving's representation successful immoderate mode she can. "I privation to beryllium a dependable for her," she said, "and I volition marque definite she is heard."

Ashley Paugh, 35

Ashley Paugh.Courtesy Stephanie Clark

Ashley Paugh was capping disconnected a time travel successful Colorado Springs with a nighttime of amusive astatine Club Q erstwhile the gunman opened fire, her sister said.

Stephanie Clark said Paugh was a loving parent and woman who was devoted to her family, including her 11-year-old daughter.

"My niece is devastated," Clark said, adding that Paugh "lived for her daughter."

In a telephone interrogation Monday, Clark sobbed and described an aggravated swirl of emotions successful the aftermath of her sister’s death.

“It conscionable doesn’t look real,” Clark said. “We’re heartbroken. We’re sad. We’re mad, angry.”

Paugh, who is not portion of the LGBTQ community, spent Saturday successful Colorado Springs with a pistillate friend. The 2 friends got a wound to eat, went buying and planned to extremity the nighttime astatine Club Q, wherever they were expecting a comedian to perform, Clark said.

"Nothing volition ever beryllium the aforesaid without her," Clark said. "Right now, I don't privation to laugh. She was a loving, caring idiosyncratic who would bash thing for anybody. We're gonna miss her truthful much."

Derrick Rump

Derrick Rump.Colorado Springs Police Dept.

Friends said Rump was a bartender astatine Club Q who was endearingly sassy and brutally honest.

"Derrick ever showed the pugnacious love, but helium did it due to the fact that idiosyncratic had to bash it," person Alex Gallagher said.

Gallagher recalled that Rump teased him for the mode helium applied his constitution successful the bathroom. They went backmost and distant connected the taxable until Rump blurted out: "You cognize I'm right."

That ended the conversation.

Raymond Green Vance, 22

Raymond Green Vance.Colorado Springs Police Dept.

Raymond Green Vance's relatives are "still trying to travel to presumption with the information helium is gone," the household said successful a connection to The New York Times. "His lack volition permission irreparable heartbreak successful countless lives."

In a station connected Facebook, Vance's woman paid tribute to him.

"My babe was the astir hilarious astir loving human. Let’s stock that with each other. I request a smile," Kassy Fierro wrote successful the post.

Fierro's father, decorated Army seasoned Richard Fierro, was 1 of 2 radical who tackled and subdued the gunman inside the nightclub, his woman said Monday.

Jessica Fierro said she was astatine Club Q with her husband, their girl and friends to observe a friend’s birthday.

She said her 2 champion friends were changeable and her girl broke her genu moving for cover. 

Daniel Arkin reported from New York; Deon J. Hampton reported from Colorado Springs, Colorado.