The suspect in the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs is the grandson of outgoing California Republican State Assemblymember Randy Voepel, the former mayor of Santee, California who once compared the January 6 insurrection to the Revolutionary War.
At one point, Voepel aligned himself with the Tea Party Movement, arguing the Republican Party was too liberal.
But following the attack on the United States Capitol—which took place after a mob of former Republican President Donald Trump's supporters attacked the nation's seat of government on the false premise the 2020 general election had been stolen—Voepel made headlines for sharing his thoughts on the event.
In an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune mere days after the attack, Voepel said:
"This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear in on January 20th."
Voepel's remarks, while not entirely a surprise, bring to mind the now-infamous "1776" tweet from Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert.
Boebert—like many who have backed the insurrectionists—suggested the attack on the Capitol was orchestrated by "patriots" opposed to liberal politics which they've likened to the tyranny the former American colonies contended with under British rule.
Voepel's comments proved so contentious he faced calls he be expelled from the California State Assembly.
While an expulsion ultimately did not happen, redistricting placed him into a new district with another member of the state Assembly Marie Waldron to whom he lost reelection by a wide margin.
The news of the shooters family ties sparked an outcry from advocates furious over the shooting.
Hate and advocating violence appears to run in the family.
The alleged shooter—a resident of Colorado Springs—refused to cooperate with local authorities.
He was charged with ten felony counts—five counts of murder and five counts of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury. Five people died during the attack and at least 25 others were injured, most of them by gunfire.
The alleged killer previously ran afoul of the law and was reported to the police by his mother in June 2021 after she said he had made a bomb threat against her.
No charges were pursued in the case—which was later sealed—despite his failure to surrender resulting in a standoff with law enforcement that prompted authorities to order the evacuation of homes in the vicinity.
The prior case raised the ire of gun control advocates, who pointed out the killer’s actions did not result in either police or relatives triggering Colorado's "red flag" law, which would have allowed for the seizure of any weapons and ammo he had in his possession.
