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At least five people have been killed and six others wounded in a mass shooting at a well-known bikers’ bar in Trabuco Canyon, California. More follows

A memorial fund for has been set up to champion LGBTQ+ causes in honour of murdered California store owner Lauri Carleton. The Lauri Carleton Memorial Fund “aims to keep her spirit alive” by supporting community groups and sustainability causes in her adopted home of Lake Arrowhead, California, and is endorsed by Carleton’s husband Bort and nine children. “Lauri was a pillar in our community, an unwavering champion of values that sought to break down barriers and build bridges,” organisers from the Mountain Provision Cooperative said on social media. “Her dedication to equality and her courage in flying the LGBTQ+ flag exemplify her commitment to creating a world where love knows no boundaries.” Funds will go towards several community groups including Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+, who described Carleton as a “fierce advocate for love, equality, and human rights”. “We will work closely with Lauri’s family in partnership with Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ and broader ally community to develop and amplify resources that promote LGBTQ+ awareness, equality, and inclusion,” it said in an Instrgam post. Carleton was a founding member of the Mountain Provisions Cooperative, which was set up earlier this year to help residents in the San Bernardino Mountains after a winter blizzard dumped 110 inches of snow in the area in a few days. The 66-year-old turned her store into an emergency relief centre and handed out supplies to local residents with her husband Bort during the severe snow dump, which cut off some areas for weeks. Authorities say Travis Ikechugi, 27, shot Carleton on 18 August after shouting homophobic insults at her over a Pride flag which was displayed outside of her Mag.Pi fashion store in Cedar Glen. Many of Carleton’s famous friends and acquaintances, including Hollywood director Paul Feig and comedian Bridget Everett, have condemned widespread “anti-gay and trans rhetoric” since her death. The organisers of the fund did not immediately respond to questions from The Independent about how much had been raised. * Anyone wishing to make a donation or find out more information can do so here. Read More Laura Carleton’s murder captured on store camera as Travis Ikeguchi’s family history revealed - latest Laura Carleton’s murder over Pride flag captured on store surveillance camera Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer

William Hardison Sr had been due to be evicted from his home in the Pittsburgh suburb of Garfield on Wednesday 23 August. When sheriff’s deputies showed up at around 11am to serve the eviction order, the 63-year-old opened fire sparking an hours-long lockdown of the neighbourhood. Armed officers from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburgh police, the FBI and SWAT crews descended on the densely populated area in the northeast of the city. Hundreds of shots were fired across several hours in exchanges between Hardison and law enforcement officers, as neighbours’ homes were peppered with bullets. The dramatic stand-off ended just after 5pm, when Pittsburgh Public Safety announced the gunman had been pronounced dead. Police later confirmed they had killed him with “deadly force”. According to family members, Hardison had believed he owned the house at the centre of the eviction order. It had previously belonged to his brother, who died recently, and been sold to a private firm, family said. Hardison was reportedly also a so-called “sovereign citizen”, who believed that he was not bound by federal or state laws. What we know about the shooting At a press conference after on Wednesday afternoon, Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus said that seven deputies had gone to serve the eviction notice at a property on the 4800 block of Broad Street and North Mathilda Street. The deputies tried to talk to Hardison to bring him out of the house, but he refused, according to the sheriff. “We tried to make contact, we were outside the house, called for him, tried to bring him out peacefully to execute the order but clearly that was not on the cards today.” Mr Kraus said the suspect had fired from first and second floor windows, and through walls at the deputies. “It was a pretty lengthy gun battle,” Mr Kraus said. “We certainly did not expect this, we had no information that this individual was this dangerous.” Authorities declared an “active shooter” situation. Neighbours barricaded themselves in their homes as shots rang out around the street. One told CBS News that shots had came through her living room window and bathroom, leaving shattered glass “everywhere”. Police repeatedly shot tear gas into the home, and placed drones above the property, but two or three were shot down by the suspect, Mr Kraus said. “He had a lot of ammunition in that house, we were all strapped with ammunition but all had to call for more ammunition. We tried to give him every opportunity to come out but it elevated to the SWAT team’s response.” Shortly before 5pm, CBS News reported that the gunman had been spotted injured in the house by a drone. Hardison was pronounced dead at 5.08pm, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The shooting forced the postponement of Pittsburgh’s City in the Streets event. The White House said President Biden had been briefed on the shooting. What his family are saying A family member was called to the scene of the shooting by police at about 3pm in an attempt to negotiate with Hardison, CBS News reported. He returned about an hour later in tears looking “devastated”, according to witnesses. William Hardison Sr’s son, who is also called William Hardison, had earlier pleaded with his father to “stand down”. William Hardison Jr told WTAE he and his family had been trying to get hold of his father all day. Addressing his father directly as the stand-off was unfolding, he said: “Hey dad please surrender, please give up. You have children and grandchildren who love you dearly. Please stand down.” He described his father as “a very stern individual”. “He’s a man’s man. When he believes in something, he’s going to fight tooth and nail for something.” Mr Hardison Jr said his father believed he owned the house. “My uncle passed away, he only had a few more years left to pay on the house. So why would they close on something for $25,000 when hundreds of thousands of dollars had been put into the house?” According to Action News, the property was sold to a company called 907 East Street. A judge issued an eviction notice for it last week. What we know about the suspect Hardison Sr had a lengthy criminal past. Public records show he had been convicted of carrying a firearm without a licence, forgery, harassment, and an accident involving death or injury. Sources told WTAE he identified as a “sovereign citizen”, which meant he did not believe he had to respect laws or pay taxes. Sovereign citizens are extremists who have been linked to the murder of police officers, fraud, and ant-government scams, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Sovereigns hold truly bizarre, complex, antigovernment beliefs that are rooted in racism and anti-Semitism,” the watchdog group states. “They believe they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and they don’t think they should have to pay taxes. They participate in protests against governments or use ‘paper terrorism’ – filing bogus lawsuits and fake liens on properties – to carry out their mission of disorder. Sometimes, they get violent.” Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto addressed the suspect’s links to the movement during Wednesday’s press conference. He said police do not have any information about Hardison Sr being a sovereign citizen “but I’m sure we will uncover a lot about the suspect and his associations as we move forward.” Read More Pittsburgh shooting suspect dead after police shootout over eviction notice in Garfield neighbourhood: Live updates Police defend ‘deadly force’ as Pittsburgh active shooter is killed during hours-long standoff Police respond to ‘active shooter’ in Pittsburgh as ‘hundreds of rounds’ fired in Garfield neighbourhood

It was a Sunday night and a young couple were sitting together in a car at a park near Los Angeles. What happened next was something straight out of a horror movie – except this was real life. A gunman suddenly opened fire on the couple before pulling 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez from the car. Vazquez’s boyfriend escaped the gunfire but returned to the vehicle to find she had been kidnapped. After an intensive one-day search, the harrowing incident culminated in despair as Vazquez’s body was found in a field and a suspect – who has no known connection to the couple – was arrested for her murder. Heartbroken relatives described Vazquez as a “beautiful person” as they have been left struggling to understand what happened and why. Here’s everything we know so far about her abduction and death: A chilling abduction The horror unfolded just after midnight on Sunday 20 August when Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in a car at Penn Park in Whittier, police said. Her boyfriend told police that an armed suspect then approached their vehicle and “fired a weapon in their direction,” police said. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned he discovered blood near his car and his girlfriend missing. Vazquez has been kidnapped from the scene. Officers were alerted to a shooting and kidnapping incident located at the “parking stalls area” at 13950 Penn Street in Whittier. In a statement following her kidnapping, police said that Vazquez was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants, and black low-top Converse shoes. “She has a tattoo of ‘Edlyn’ on the back of the neck, Aries constellation on the top of her right hand and a belly button piercing,” the statement read. Vasquez’s sister, Edlyn, with whom she lives in Los Angeles, put out a plea on Facebook for the public’s help in finding her. “My sister was shot and kidnapped at Penn Park,” she wrote. “Her last location shows Moreno Valley. We don’t know her condition. Please I am begging, if anyone has information, or the heart to share this, please please contact me and repost.” Another relative Emily Martinez told Fox News Digital that Vasquez’s phone last pinged in the Moreno Valley area. “We’re scared for her, but I’m hopeful, very hopeful that we’ll find her,” she said. “We just want to know she’s OK.” Tragic discovery Following the horror kidnapping, a huge search was launched to try to find the missing 19-year-old. That search ended in tragedy on Monday 21 August when, at around 11.50pm local time, authorities combing the area of Moreno Valley made a gruesome discovery. Police said that the teen’s body had been found in a vegetation field off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley. It is currently unclear how she died or the nature of the scene where her body was found. The investigation remains ongoing but police said that it appears that the attack on Vazquez and her boyfriend was “randomly targeted”. The ‘random’ suspect On Tuesday 22 August, police announced an update on the case as a suspect was taken into custody. Detectives from the Whittier Police Department and the LADA Community Violence Reduction Team arrested Gabriel Esparza, a 20-year-old man and Whittier resident, in connection with the kidnapping and shooting of Vazquez. Mr Esparza was taken into custody at his workplace in the city of Lakewood and booked into the Whittier Police Department jail on charges of murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bail. During his arrest, officers recovered a weapon and Esparza’s White Toyota Tacoma truck – which are believed to have been used at the time of the shooting. “This relentless investigation and yesterday’s arrest were made possible by the dedication and commitment of our investigations division, with the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey Police Department, La Habra Police Department and the LADA Investigations Bureau Community Violence Reduction Team,” police said in a statement. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Wednesday 23 August. Suspect pleads not guilty in first court appearance Gabriel Sean Esparza, the 20-year-old son of a Los Angeles County fire captain, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Tributes pour in Vasquez attended Fullerton College and was a fashion design student as well as an employee at a shopping mall in Cerritos. Ms Martinez told Fox News Digital before her body was found that the 19-year-old had also been working with her sister Edlyn, who is a lash artist. She described Vazquez as the “funniest person ever” and a “beautiful person” who was liked by everyone who met her. Read More Andrea Vazquez – latest: Gabriel Esparza arrested for murder after kidnapping teen on date with boyfriend Andrea Vazquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead

A missing California teen has been found dead following a violent kidnapping, officials in the Whittier Police Department said. The remains of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez were found in a vegetation field in Moreno Valley. Vazquez was randomly kidnapped over the weekend while she was in a car with her boyfriend in a Los Angeles park. While Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in the parked car at Penn Park, an armed man approached them and began shooting. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned, he “discovered blood” near it and Vazquez was gone. “At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park,” police said in a statement. Detectives combed the area of Moreno Valley and made the gruesome discovery on Monday evening. Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been arrested in connection with the crime. Mr Esparza is facing charges of murder and kidnapping and is currently being held without bail. Read More Andrea Vasquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead

A woman who fatally shoved an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach onto a Manhattan sidewalk avoided a long prison sentence by pleading guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday. Lauren Pazienza, 28, cried in court as she admitted randomly attacking Barbara Maier Gustern on March 10, 2022. The singing coach died five days later.

Authorities in Kansas say they have found “items of interest” in several cold case investigations during a search of “BTK killer” Dennis Rader’s former home. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told Fox News that investigators had dug up Rader’s former property in Park City over two days this week after linking him to unsolved missing person cases. “Through the investigation, we developed information of some possible trophies of Dennis Rader’s, and we followed up on those leads and worked with Park City,” Mr Virden told the news site. He said officers “did a dig in the area, and we did recover some items of interest”. Rader is serving 10 consecutive life terms after his 2005 confession to the brutal murders of 10 women in the Wichita area between 1974 and 1991. Investigators have reportedly linked Rader to the unsolved disappearance of Cythia “Cyndi” Dawn Kinney, a 16-year-old cheerleader who disappeared from a laundromat in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in 1976. Rader’s daughter Kerri Rawson said in a press release that she had been assisting law enforcement with an investigation into Kinney’s disappearance and several other unsolved murders. Ms Rawson said she had recently learned of Kinney’s cold case, and the separate unsolved murder of Shawna Garber, whose remains were found near Pineville, Missouri, in 1990. She said she contacted the law enforcement in Missouri and after being put in touch with the Osage County Sheriff’s Office she was flown to Kansas to work as a volunteer in both cases. As part of that work, she said she visited her father twice at the El Dorado Correctional Facility where he is incarcerated. “Beyond these two cases that have been released publicly, I’m not at liberty to discuss other possible missing persons and unsolved murder cases that are being actively investigated as possibly committed by my father, nor can I comment on my direct assistance in the investigations,” Ms Rawson said. “Multiple law enforcement agencies are seeking long-sought answers in decades-old missing persons and unsolved murder cases in the tri-state area of Kansa, Missouri and Oklahoma. And possibly locations that extend beyond the tri-state area,” she added. Ms Rawson also revealed that Rader had this year been offered immunity to confess to any violent crimes he may have committed between the early 1960s and his arrest in 2005. She called on local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to form a BTK killer special task force “to fund and power these vital ongoing tasks”. Read More BTK killer makes chilling comparisons between himself and Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann Bryan Kohberger defence hints at alibi in Idaho murders - but won’t reveal what it is as deadline passes Four students stabbed to death, a weeks-long manhunt but no motive: What we know about the Idaho murders

Four people have been arrested in connection to the shocking kidnapping of twin babies from a Michigan motel which set off a statewide Amber Alert – but luckily ended in their safe return. The 14-day-old twins, Montana and Matthew Bridges, were reported missing by their mother on Sunday. The mother, whose name has not been released, told police she had left the babies with “friendly acquaintances” at the motel in Livonia and left for a period of time. But when she returned, she said the babies – and her friends – were gone. An Amber Alert was immediately issued with police stating they believed the babies, who were only wearing diapers, to be in danger and that they had been taken by two unidentified women. Police released images from surveillance footage of the suspected kidnappers wearing jackets with the hoods pulled over their heads. The mother told police she had met the acquaintances on Facebook and that they told her they would give her clothes and diapers for the babies. The babies were safely returned at about 9.30am Monday morning at the Detroit Police Department’s Ninth Precinct. They were unharmed. Detroit Police Chief James White said: “We have the best outcome possible. The two kids have been recovered.” On Tuesday, Livonia police announced the arrests of four people related to the kidnapping. Their identities have not been released. “The Livonia Police Department has made four arrests related to the kidnapping of Montana and Matthew Bridges, who were the subject of an Amber Alert on August 21, 2023,” the statement said. “This case will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review.” The investigation into the kidnapping is still ongoing with Livonia Police Captain Gregory Yon saying that a motive is not yet clear. Read More Michigan newborn twins found safe hours after hospital kidnapping by hooded women North Carolina woman arrested for faking her own murder

Travis Ikeguchi appeared to “flinch” before fatally shooting Laura Carleton during a heated dispute over a Pride flag, surveillance footage shows. Authorities say Ikeguchi hurled homophobic slurs at Carleton over a rainbow flag flying from her Mag.Pi store in Cedar Glen, California, before firing a single shot that killed the 66-year-old mother of nine on 18 August. The fatal shooting was captured on the store’s closed-circuit cameras, according to the Los Angeles Times. An acquaintance who viewed the disturbing footage told the Times that Ikeguchi momentarily paused before opening fire. “He then almost flinched as if thinking twice but then went for it, grabbed the gun and then aimed it and shot Lauri,” the acquaintance told the Times. Meanwhile, public records reviewed by The Independent have revealed that Ikeguchi’s father is a decorated Florida Highway Patrol state trooper and a firearms and active shooter instructor. The police link comes after officials said that Ikeguchi’s social media accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and far-right site Gab were filled with bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ posts and posts showing an intense hatred for law enforcement long before he murdered Carleton. Read More Laura Carleton’s killer was the son of a decorated police officer Laura Carleton’s death and the growing ‘epidemic of hate’ against LGBT+ people in the US A mother and businesswoman whose LGBTQ advocacy cost her her life: Who was Laura Ann Carleton? A California man spewed anti-LGBT+ hate online. Then he murdered a mom-of-nine over a Pride flag

A woman who was chained to the floor of a Kentucky home for two days was freed by police in a dramatic rescue that was captured on newly released body-camera video. Louisville Metro police responded to the dilapidated house on Bolling Avenue around 7pm on Wednesday after neighbours reported hearing cries for help. The doors and several of the windows were barricaded, forcing officers to break in through a second-storey window where they came face-to-face with the distressed woman. Chilling footage shows the unidentified woman sobbing hysterically as police reached her. She was bolted to the floor with screws that were attached to a chain and secured around her neck by a MasterLock. Moises May, 36, who was arrested two days later, was keeping the woman locked up following an argument that turned violent, according to the police report obtained by WAVE3. The woman had left the night of the argument but returned the next day to collect her belongings when Mr May locked her inside a deadbolted room after taking her phone, police said. Mr May, who lives at the home with the woman and their child, allegedly chopped her hair off with a machete, forced her to strip down before he chained her to the floor and threatened to kill her. “You’re gonna get it tonight. I told you the next time you leave and don’t come home, I’d kill you,” Mr May reportedly told her, according to the police report. The woman’s cries for help were finally heard after she managed to break the second-storey window. When officers reached the woman in the grimy room on Wednesday evening and struggled to free her from the chains, she can be heard on the video telling the police that her captor kept the key to the lock on his keychain. “The woman had a chain around her neck, which was secured by a MasterLock, and that chain was bolted to the floor with screws,” the department said. Police located a hatchet in the home and were able to cut through the chain and free the woman. She continued to cry and shake as she was led outside to be treated by EMS. Mr May was arrested two days later and charged with one count of kidnapping, intimidating a participant in the legal process, wanton endangerment, assault, terroristic threatening and harassment. His bond was set at $100,000 and he is scheduled to reappear in court on 28 August. Read More Andrea Vazquez – latest: Gabriel Esparza arrested for murder after kidnapping teen on date with boyfriend Police warn Rachel Morin killer will strike again after weeks on the run Friends of missing Katy Perry songwriter Camela Leierth-Segura fear someone is holding her captive

Maryland police have warned that Rachel Morin’s killer could strike again as he remains at large more than two weeks on from her murder. Harford County sheriff Jeff Gahler told Fox News that identifying and catching the suspect is a “top priority” amid fears that he could do “something harmful to someone else”. “This individual poses a threat to every community from here to Los Angeles because we don’t know where he’s laying his head at night,” he said. Morin, 37, was found dead after heading off for a walk along on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, on the evening of 6 August. Last week, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office announced a major break in the case, revealing that DNA found at the scene of Morin’s murder had been matched to the DNA left at a home where an unknown man broke into a home in Los Angeles and violently attacked a young girl back in March. The suspect, a Hispanic male aged 20-30, was caught on a home security camera leaving the LA home. Over the weekend, hundreds of community members took part in a tribute walk in memory of the mother-of-five. Read More Maryland police have DNA matching Rachel Morin murder suspect and video images but no identity Rachel Morin’s mother breaks silence on daughter’s killing Maryland sheriff calls out ‘heinous coward’ who killed mother-of-five Rachel Morin Rachel Morin’s boyfriend speaks out after police name man wanted over sex assault as suspect in murder

A mother-of-nine who proudly displayed a Pride flag outside her California store. A gay man who danced to a Beyoncé song in Brooklyn. Five patrons killed in a mass shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado. All were appalling attacks against the LGBTQ+ community and their allies in recent months. From the disruption of drag show story hours to threats against retail employees for selling Pride merchandise, the rising threat of violence is terrifying, but unfortunately unsurprising, Sarah Moore, an Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism Analyst, told The Independent. The senseless murder of Laura “Lauri” Ann Carleton last week is the most recent example of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate currently being spread across the US. The 66-year-old store owner was a straight, white woman who spent her time helping and advocating for everyone in the community, a Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ organisation said in a post. Carleton had nine children, but because of one person’s hatred, all of them will now have to live the rest of their lives without a mother. “This epidemic of hate is not only killing us, but the people who stand with us too,” Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement to The Independent. On 18 August, 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi, who had been spewing anti-LGBTQ+ hate on social media for quite some time, emerged from behind his computer, and fatally shot Carleton outside her Mag.Pi store on Hook Creek Road in Cedar Glen, California, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office. It was all because the fashion entrepreneur dared to hang a rainbow Pride flag outside her store. When someone would rip it down or damage it, she would simply hang up another one. But this time, Carleton was confronted about the rainbow flag by Ikeguchi as he tore it down while screaming homophobic slurs at her. He then pulled out a gun and shot her. Officers arrived to find she had suffered a single gunshot wound, before she died at the scene. Ikeguchi had fled the area, but was later tracked down by deputies. A standoff ensued and he opened fire on the officers before he was shot and killed. An investigation found a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ posts on Ikeguchi’s social media. The California man had posted images of Pride flags on fire, along with rants lashing out at the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement. Sarah Moore, an Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremism analyst at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said the attack on Carleton is a “crucial example of what the ADL has been tracking in the latest trends over the past year.” “Pride flags have been targeted, whether it’s by burning them, stealing them or damaging them,” she said, adding that the flag is being used as a statement and an increasingly popular tactic against the LGBTQ+ community. Moore, who has viewed and analysed Ikeguchi’s social media, said there are not just anti-LGBTQ+ posts but also antisemitic and anti-Israel ones. “I want to stress that bias against the LGBTQ+ community often overlaps with other forms of hate,” she said. A report released in June by the ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) and the national LGBTQ+ organization GLAAD, recorded a total of 356 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents between June 2022 and April 2023, including 305 acts of harassment, 40 acts of vandalism and 11 incidents of assault. This is up from 2021-2022 where 223 incidents were recorded. The report also found that anti-LGBTQ+ incidents often overlapped with other forms of hate, with at least 128 incidents also citing antisemitic tropes and 30 incidents also citing racist tropes. Nearly half of all incidents (49 per cent) were perpetrated wholly or substantially by individuals associated with extremist groups, the report found. The most cited anti-LGBTQ+ trope was what the report called baseless “grooming” conspiracy theory, with at least 191 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault making explicit references to “grooming” or “pedophilia.” Carleton’s murder has since led to an outpouring of grief and anger from her children and family members, Hollywood stars and the LGBTQ+ community members who have warned that her killing is yet another devastating example of the increase in bigotry in violence across America. Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement that “threats against the LGBTQ+ community and our allies have evolved from violent rhetoric on social media and from anti-equality political leaders to, now, real-world violence — and let’s be honest, no city, state or person is immune from this brutality.” “The killing of Laura Ann Carleton, just for standing up for the LGBTQ+ community by displaying a Pride flag at her store, is devastating. Let’s be clear — the combination of hate and easy access to guns is killing too many of us. “From the rise of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people over the past decade, the loss of five innocent lives at Club Q in Colorado Springs, to the ruthless murder of O’Shea Sibley for vogueing at a gas station, we are seeing an escalation of hateful words turning into vicious, senseless attacks that has escalated into a nation-wide state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community. Laura should be here with her husband and her family. This epidemic of hate is not only killing us, but the people who stand with us too.” The latest attack happened less than a month after O’Shae Sibley was murdered by a “good Christian boy” for dancing to a Beyoncé song in Brooklyn, New York. Sibley, 28, had been out celebrating a friend’s birthday when the group stopped at a Mobil gas station in Coney Island on 29 July. The professional dancer took off his shirt and was “vogueing” — a dance form popularised by the LGBTQ+ community — to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album with a friend on the station forecourt. Just after 11pm, a group of young men allegedly began hurling homophobic insults saying that they didn’t like “gay dancing” in their neighbourhood, according to eyewitnesses. Sibley confronted the men, surveillance footage showed, and the clash turned violent, ending with Sibley being stabbed in the heart during a scuffle. He died a short time later. Otis Pena, who was with Sibley when he was killed, said he and Sibley were “just pumping gas and listening to Renaissance and having a good time”. “O’Shae was just trying to tell people ‘we may be gay’ and they stabbed him right in the heart,” he continued, breaking down. “They murdered him because he was gay, because he stood up for his friends. All because he wanted people to know that we are gay.” Dmitriy Popov, 17, was later arrested and arraigned as an adult on murder and hate crime charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Eyewitnesses told the NYPD that Mr Popov had told the vogueing group that their dancing offended him as a Muslim. Mr Popov’s lawyer Mark Pollard told The Independent in an interview that his client was a “good Christian boy” who regularly attended church. “I have no idea where that came from. I just know he’s not Muslim. It’s very strange,” Mr Pollard told The Independent. Beyoncé, who was performing nearby at New York’s MetLife stadium on the night Sibley was killed, paid tribute to the dancer, choreographer and model, who family say was cut down “in his prime”. The killing attracted national attention due to its alleged homophobic nature, as attacks on the LGBTQ+ community are increasing. Last year, five people were shot dead and 17 others injured just for being at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. On 19 November 2022, drag performer Del Lusional was hosting an alternative and punk show at the club — a DJ was set to follow. But then Anderson Lee Aldrich walked in and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle killing bar staff Daniel Aston, 28, and Derrick Rump, 38, along with Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; and Raymond Green Vance, 22. Aldrich was charged with 305 criminal counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and at least 48 counts of committing crimes motivated by anti-LGBT+ bias. Prosecutors argued that Aldrich be charged with hate crimes, pointing out that his mother was reportedly nonbinary and forced him to go to LGBT+ clubs. Aldrich ultimately accepted a plea deal, reducing the number of charges to 53, but which included all five first-degree murder charges, 46 attempted first-degree murder charges, and two bias-driven crimes charges. Threats against the LGBTQ+ community emerged in June when Target’s Pride Month displays came under fire. Several videos posted on social media show customers destroying the displays and heavily criticising the retail company for including LGBTQ+ attire. This included a “tuck-friendly” bathing suit option and greeting cards that used inclusive language. The backlash forced the retail giant to pull some of its Pride Month merchandise after several of its employees experienced “confrontational behavior” from angry customers. “Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team embers’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement. A Target spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that several angry customers made “threatening posts on social media with video from inside stores” in addition to confronting workers. “Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year,” Target said in a statement. Target isn’t the only company grappling with public criticism. Bud Light is still dealing with fallout from its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who in April posted a picture on Instagram of a beer can with her face on it. Mulvaney, a transgender influencer, was the target of disparaging right-wing attacks for weeks after she partnered with Budweiser to promote Bud Light. In response to the hate-filled and transphobic backlash that followed, the company said it “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people," but didn’t directly address the rhetoric or signal clear support for Mulvaney. Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is tripling its US marketing spending this summer as it tries to restore lost sales. Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Budweiser beers, issued a statement at the time in response to the conservative boycott, saying that it “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people”. “We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere,” said CEO Brendan Whitworth. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.” In response to the increasing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and allies, many have called for a change. Wendy Via, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a statement this week, that this will continue to result in violence if this rhetoric and push for irrational, hateful, and rights-restricting legislation isn’t stopped.” “From the arson of a church in Texas, to the firebombing of a coffee shop in Oklahoma, to the disruption of library story hours, the threatening of school boards, and the banning of books, to the horrific murders at Club Q in Colorado last November, the threats and the violence facing LGBTQ+ people and allies is all too real,” Wendy Via, co-founder of Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a statement this week. “The man who shot and killed Laura Ann Carleton after disparaging the LGBTQ+ pride flag she proudly hung in her store window had a history of anti-LGBTQ+ posts on social media sites. Yet again, anti-LGBTQ+ hate turned to violence, and an innocent woman tragically lost her life. Now, an entire community is not only reeling from the tragic death, but LGBTQ+ people and their allies everywhere are once again reminded in the worst possible way of the very real threat of hate and violence they face every day. “The killing of Laura Ann Carleton proves anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence are out of control in the US and around the world. Efforts to demonize, intimidate, and provoke violence against LGBTQ+ people have increased over the past year globally. It would be naive to separate these violent attacks from the anti-LGBTQ+ efforts of some politicians and far-right organizations. “As we’ve said before, the relentless dehumanization and demonization of LGBTQ+ people by far-right politicians, extremist religious leaders, and hateful ideology adherents — often spread online — will continue to result in violence if this rhetoric and push for irrational, hateful, and rights-restricting legislation isn’t stopped.” Read More A mother and businesswoman whose LGBTQ advocacy cost her her life: Who was Laura Ann Carleton? Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Travis Ikeguchi’s anti-LGBT+ online history revealed after Pride flag murder Travis Ikeguchi: What we know about the gunman who shot Laura Carleton over Pride flag