A man subdued the Colorado LGBTQ nightclub shooter by stealing one of his weapons and beating him with it, mayor says

• A gunman killed at least five people at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs.
• The mayor said a patron took one of the gunman's weapons and beat him with it, subduing him.

A patron at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ bar where a gunman killed at least five people subdued the gunman by tackling him, taking one of his guns and beating him with it, and then stayed on top of him, the city's mayor said.

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers told CNN that it was an "incredible act of heroism."

According to Suthers, police were called at 11.57 p.m. and arrived on the scene "by 12." The incident, he said, "was over by 12:02."

Suthers said that speed was "largely because of the intervention of at least one, possibly two, very heroic individuals who subdued this guy, appears to have taken his handgun — he had a handgun with him — and used it to disable him. Not shoot him, but to hit him with the gun and disable him."

"But for that — as tragic as this incident is, it's a horrible crime — it could have been much, much worse," he added.

Colorado Springs Police said on Sunday that five people were killed and 25 more injured after the gunman opened fire inside Club Q.

They said the suspect used a long rifle during the shooting.

Club Q also said that patrons had helped take down the attacker, writing on its Facebook page: "We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."

Police have identified the suspect, and said that he was injured and in custody. They also said during a Sunday press conference that they are investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime.

President Joe Biden said in his statement that threats against the LGBTQ community in the US are increasing.

"Places that are supposed to be safe spaces of acceptance and celebration should never be turned into places of terror and violence. Yet it happens far too often," Biden said.

"We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people. We cannot and must not tolerate hate."