As the names of the victims of the November 19 shooting at Club Q are released, GO Mag mourns each victim that lost their lives and remembers the legacy that they leave.
Daniel Davis Aston
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Daniel Davis Aston, a 28-year-old trans man, was a bar supervisor and drag king at Club Q and a self-proclaimed “Master of Silliness.” He was well known for his exciting performances and his impeccable mullet. His mother remembers how he lifted up his peers through his entertainment. “He lit up a room, always smiling, always happy and silly,” she told the Washington Post. His coworker, Michael Anderson, was working with Aston when the gunman entered the bar. Anderson made it out of the building, but Aston did not. “He was the best supervisor anybody could’ve asked for. He made me want to come into work, and he made me want to be a part of the positive culture we were trying to create there,” Anderson said, according to CNN.
Derrick Rump
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Derrick Rump, a 38-year-old cis man, was a bartender and entertainer at Club Q working alongside Aston. His friends, Tim Bates and Sky Lane, both mentioned his sweet sensibility and snarky humor in their memory of him. “He was the sweetest guy. He was a snarky, snarky, snarky man,” said Bates. Lay stated, according to the Colorado Sun, “He was one of the sweetest, funniest, quirkiest smartasses you’d ever want to meet.” At a memorial on Sunday, Bates poured out a Dr. Pepper and Rum in honor of Rump, a drink that Rump would often make him.
Kelly Loving
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Kelly Loving, a 40-year-old trans woman, was visiting Colorado Springs from her home in Denver. Her sister told the New York Times, “she was loving, always trying to help the next person out instead of thinking of herself. She just was a caring person.” Her friend, Natalee Skye Bingham, remembers her strength. “She was a tough woman,” Bingham said. “She taught me how it was to be a trans woman and live your life day today.”
Raymond Green
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Raymond Green, a customer at Club Q, was celebrating a friend’s birthday on the night of the attack. His girlfriend, Kassy Fierro, broke her knee while escaping the gunfire. She posted a heart-felt and gut-wrenching tribute on Facebook: “i will love you til the day i get to come back home to your arms, ur arms were the only place i felt safe, u are my home, my heart, my everything, u changed my life.”
Ashley Paugh
Ashley Paugh, a 35-year-old cis woman, was visiting Club Q to see a comedian. She was an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, wife to her high school sweetheart, and a mother to her 11-year-old daughter. Her nephew wrote on Facebook the shooter “took away the most beautiful soul away from our family an[d] many others over this ignorant, hateful, despicable act.”
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