CO Shooting Victim, Barrett Hudson, 31, Reveals ‘I Thought I Was Dead’ After Being Shot 7 Times (Exclusive)

Barrett Hudson, 31, was enjoying a nighttime retired with a person erstwhile helium abruptly became 1 of the victims successful the Colorado Springs wide shooting which took spot astatine LGBT nightclub, Club Q, connected November 19. The fatal shooting near 5 radical dormant and dozens much injured. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Barrett, who “thought [he] was dead” aft being shot 7 times by an equipped gunman holding an AR-15.

HL: Can you delight explicate precisely what happened that nighttime astatine the club?

Barrett: “I conscionable moved to Colorado astir a period and a fractional ago. I went with 1 different idiosyncratic and we had ne'er been determination earlier truthful we conscionable wanted to cheque it out. And we were going determination to watch a resistance show. We’d lone been determination astir apt astir 30, 45 minutes. And I mean, we were 30, 45 seconds distant from leaving. If we had near erstwhile we would person near past we would person either been astatine the barroom closing retired our tab oregon we would person been walking done the entranceway truthful who knows what would person happened.

“I saw him murder idiosyncratic acold blooded close successful beforehand of my eyes. I curse to God helium paused a 2nd oregon 2 earlier helium changeable this dude. So I’m going to archer you, erstwhile you perceive gunshots, and I’ve ne'er heard gunshots that adjacent but too that 1 time, it sounds similar balloons popping due to the fact that the echo is large and the euphony is inactive playing over. So it’s not similar it’s loud, large due to the fact that it could beryllium successful the music. But erstwhile helium opened fire, we heard astir 9 oregon 10 pops. I look to my close and I spot the doorway shut, and I spot him lasting determination with an AR-15. Because I person an AR-15 I cognize what they look like.

“When helium opened the door, helium was conscionable close connected this radical of people. They couldn’t person been successful a worse spot. They were similar sitting ducks. One dude enactment his hands up and walked 2 steps back. And the dude conscionable changeable him successful the head, oregon possibly it was the chest. That’s erstwhile everyone successful the nine took disconnected running. It was dim successful the nine but you could spot and perceive the gunshots.”

Barrett Hudson was changeable 7 times successful a wide shooting astatine Club Q successful Colorado Springs connected Nov. 19 (Barrett Hudson)

HL: How did you negociate to escape?

Barrett: “I took disconnected moving done the backmost doorway and I’m getting changeable near and right. One clip successful my near elbow and 1 clip successful my close elbow, past 5 times successful the back. It each happened truthful fast. I was conscionable fighting for my life. I didn’t person a prime but to support going. I kept getting changeable the full clip I was running. I fell down and I would get backmost up. I made it extracurricular and I instantly looked right. I don’t adjacent deliberation I looked near due to the fact that determination were treble doors and the near doorway was inactive swinging open. So I conscionable went close truthful helium wouldn’t person arsenic overmuch shooting range.

“I saw astir a 10- oregon 12-foot obstruction truthful I ran and I climbed the fence. I threw myself implicit it. I ran astir different 30 yards and I hopped down connected the ledge which was astir apt a 15-foot ledge. Then I ran implicit to a CVS and I was screaming for help. That was benignant of erstwhile I had my travel to Jesus moment. I was laying connected the sidewalk astatine 7-Eleven and radical were helping me. They called 911 but the ambulances took forever.

“The radical helping maine started counting each the slug holes. They told maine however galore times I had been changeable and I was bleeding truthful bad. While I was laying determination I saw galore constabulary and ambulance thrust by helping different victims. During that clip portion I was waiting for an ambulance laying connected the ground, I called my dada and told him however overmuch I loved him due to the fact that I thought I was dormant since we couldn’t get an ambulance retired there.

“At immoderate constituent we were really going to enactment maine successful somebody’s car. But past the constabulary came, past the fire, but we inactive couldn’t get an ambulance. They were like, ‘Well, let’s conscionable enactment him successful the occurrence motortruck but past yet they got an ambulance. I consciousness similar I would person had an adjacent amended changeable of surviving if I had conscionable gone successful someone’s car conscionable due to the fact that of however agelong the ambulance took.”

HL: Have you connected with immoderate of the different survivors since the attack? If so, what was that like?

Barrett: “No unfortunately, I haven’t yet. I’ve been successful the infirmary up until a fewer days agone and conscionable focusing connected recovering astatine this point. Plus, you’ve got to retrieve I’ve lone been successful Colorado a fewer weeks, right? I conscionable moved there. I didn’t cognize anybody. I’m really backmost successful North Carolina present wherever each my household is astatine truthful they tin assistance instrumentality attraction of me.”

HL: How are you feeling today?

Barrett: “They cleared maine to permission the hospital aft 72 hours. I flew backmost to North Carolina wherever I’m from since past and thankfully I’m capable to locomotion and talk. Sitting inactive hurts but I recovered retired that 1 of the bullets missed my spine by a hair, and each the different bullets missed my large organs.”

HL: Did you ever ideate thing similar this would hap to you?

Barrett: “Absolutely not. But what I did bash erstwhile I walked successful the club, I really scoped retired my exits. I looked astir and I paid attention. And successful my head, I said, ‘God forbid a gunman comes in. Where bash I run?’ And I saw the backmost doors. I really bash that successful each cheery barroom that I spell to. I benignant of look astir astatine the exit, conscionable due to the fact that of each the shootings.”

HL: How has this affected your life? Do you fearfulness going retired again? Could you ever spell to a nine again?

Barrett: “Hell no, I could ne'er bash a nine again. I’m much of a barroom feline successful wide but still… adjacent if I had a weapon, things hap truthful accelerated that I don’t cognize what bully it would person done. When I saw him sprout that guy, I took disconnected moving earlier his assemblage dropped. As soon arsenic I saw that occurrence travel retired of the gun, I took disconnected moving and I knew this wasn’t a joke. This is existent life, but it inactive feels similar I’m going to aftermath up.”

HL: What bash you deliberation needs to beryllium done to forestall this from happening again? Are cheery bars harmless places still?

Barrett: “Not successful 2022. Gay bars are the astir unsafe places you tin spell due to the fact that we’re targeted more. If you privation to sprout thing up and you hatred people, it’s usually wherever you go. Or similar the movie theaters oregon churches. I mean, it’s been awful. And if I thought to alteration anything, we request information and like, walk immoderate money. I get it’s going to outgo more, but we request off-duty cops. We request radical that tin transportation guns. Because if information was there, this would person been a full antithetic story. They astir apt wouldn’t person gone into that bar.”

Barrett ‘thought [he] was dead’ aft being changeable galore times (Barrett Hudson)

HL: What benignant of justness bash you anticipation alleged gunman Anderson Lee Aldrich receives?

Barrett: “I anticipation helium receives beingness successful situation without parole due to the fact that decease is excessively easy. When you bash thing similar that you’re afloat prepared to die. The feline that took him down, I judge successful the shooters mind, he’s like, ‘Oh, f**k, present I’m going to person to bash each this time.’ So beingness without parole would beryllium a amended punishment for him.”

HL: Being a weapon proprietor yourself, what are your views connected weapon power aft this attack? Do you deliberation that amended weapon power would person changed the outcome?

Barrett: “It’s excessively casual to get a gun. It’s hard to get a pistol. I person an AR-15 and respective different guns. It’s easier to get due to the fact that an AR-15 is considered similar a shotgun truthful it’s virtually conscionable spell determination and bargain a shotgun. It’s 1 inheritance check. You locomotion retired successful 10, 15 minutes. It’s mode excessively casual and I deliberation we decidedly request amended weapon power due to the fact that we’re the lone state that’s dropping similar flies connected our ain people.”

HL: What is your connection to the LGBTQ+ community?

Barrett: “That’s a bully question. Um, conscionable cognize your exits. And conscionable beryllium safe. My connection would beryllium that it’s conscionable not harmless capable to spell retired close now.”