COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — One victim was a self-described “Master of Silly Business,” a bartender at the nightclub. Another was known for a "heavy hand" pouring drinks to friendly patrons and doling out life advice.
Family and friends of victims of the deadly mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, began to identify and mourn loved ones lost in the tragedy. Authorities on Monday confirmed the names of the five people killed when a gunman opened fire at Club Q just before midnight Saturday.
During a news conference on Monday, Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said "often we lose track of the victims" and that they "don't get the dignity and respect they deserve."
"We will seek justice for all the victims and honor the community members who lost a loved one," Vasquez added.
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers also expressed his "heartfelt condolences" during the news conference and promised his "unwavering support to the victims, their families, and the LGBTQ+ family."
Here's what we know about the victims:
Daniel Davis Aston, 28
Aston was identified by his mother in an interview with The Associated Press. Sabrina Aston said her son, 28, grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and moved to Colorado Springs two years ago.
Aston, a transgender man, was a well-known bartender and entertainer at Club Q, the site of the massacre. “It’s just a nightmare that you can’t wake up from,” Sabrina Aston said.
His mother told a reporter he had a penchant for entertaining at a young age. He attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and became president of its LGBTQ club.
“We are in shock, we cried for a little bit, but then you go through this phase where you are just kind of numb, and I’m sure it will hit us again,” she said. “I keep thinking it’s a mistake, they made a mistake, and that he is really alive.”
'WHEN WILL IT STOP?':LGBTQ community, Pulse survivors react to Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs
Derrick Rump
Rump was a bartender at Club Q. His Facebook account listed attending Kutztown Area Senior High School in his native Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Anthony Jaramillo, a friend of Rump, told CBS News he was a staple at the bar and often visited friends home in Pennsylvania.
"Loving, supportive, with a heavy hand in his drink pouring, and just a really good listener and would not be afraid to tell you when you were wrong instead of telling you what you wanted to hear and that was really valuable," Jaramillo said.
Aaron Ward, a neighbor of Rump, heard news of his death on Monday morning. As Rump often worked late shifts at Club Q, Ward had few interactions with Rump but remembers him for his kindness.
“I was worried because I hadn’t seen his car in two days,” Ward said. “Someone came over a couple days ago and said they found his phone at the club and they couldn’t find him anywhere... Any time I talked to him or saw him, he was always very nice, very kind, very respectful. What little I knew of him, he was a great guy.”
LGBTQ RESOURCES:How to help Club Q victims after Colorado Springs shooting
Kelly Loving, 40
Last week, Natalee Bingham celebrated Kelly Loving’s 40th birthday at her Denver home with a small cake and a few close friends. For Bingham, 25 and transgender, it was a big deal to celebrate another trans woman’s 40th birthday – many of her transgender friends had died young, she said.
Reaching 40 felt like a milestone.
“It gives us hope we could live a long time,” Bingham said. “It gave me hope that we could live a long, normal life.”
On Saturday, Loving’s life was cut dramatically short. Loving had called Bingham via FaceTime as she entered the club minutes before the shooting to excitedly show off her new outfit and hairstyle.
Loving moved from Memphis to Denver earlier this year, hoping to find a community more embracing of her identity, Bingham said. She met Loving through a mutual friend and immediately the two hit it off, she said. Bingham and Loving had planned on meeting this week for Thanksgiving dinner.
“We were going to have friends over. We were all going to cook,” Bingham said. “It’s really, really crazy.”
Loving’s sister, Tiffany Loving, shared her condolences to all those affected by Saturday’s shooting. Tiffany Loving described Kelly as a good and wonderful person.
“She was loving and caring and sweet. Everyone loved her,” Tiffany Loving said in a statement provided to USA TODAY on behalf of the family.
Ashley Paugh
Ashley Paugh, was killed in the attack, according to her husband, Kurt Paugh.
"We’re absolutely devastated by the loss of Ashley," Kurt Paugh wrote in a statement to The Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY Network. "She meant everything to this family, and we can’t even begin to understand what it will mean to not have her in our lives."
Kurt Paugh said Ashley was "an amazing mother" that is survived by an 11-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, a championship swimmer.
"She had a huge heart. I know that Ashley cared about so many people," Kurt Paugh wrote. "She helped so many people through her work at Kids Crossing, a nonprofit that helps find loving homes for foster children."
Paugh's sister Stephanie Clark also posted a remembrance on Facebook.
"I lost my sister and I am so so sad and so very angry right now," Clark wrote. "She was a sister, daughter, mom, wife, aunt, niece, and cousin. We are all devastated."
'WE ALL FEEL SHOCK AND GRIEF':Colorado Springs community mourns Club Q shooting victims
Raymond Green Vance, 22
Raymond Green Vance, 22, went to Club Q Saturday night with his girlfriend, Kassy Fierro, and her family to celebrate a friend’s birthday, according to a family statement provided to USA TODAY.
"Raymond was a kind, selfless young adult with his entire life ahead of him," the statement added.
Born in Chicago, Vance spent his entire life in Colorado Springs and lived with his mother and younger brother, according to Vance's family. He was a 2018 graduate of Sand Creek High School and recently got a new job in the city's FedEx distribution center.
Vance's mother described him "as a popular, well-liked young man who never got into any trouble and had plenty of friends." Although Vance had never been to Club Q prior to Saturday, he was supportive of the LGBTQ community and was there to enjoy a show, the statement added.
"Raymond was the victim of a man who unleashed terror on innocent people out with family and friends," according to the statement.
LGBTQ RESOURCES AND MORE:How to help Club Q victims after Colorado Springs shooting
Contributing: James Bartolo and Tracy Harmon, The Pueblo Chieftain; Sarah Paugh, The Coloradoan
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