[ applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight, horror and heroes inside the club q tragedy in colorado springs. >> i stuck my hand out, and i grabbed her hand, and i kept saying keep squeezing my hand, baby, keep squeezing my hand, baby. >> survivors sharing the horrifying and poignant details. >> it was absolute chaos. people were running, screaming. >> one of the heroes speaking out. >> that's what i was trained to do. i saw him and i went and got him. >> this video of the suspect last year has many asking how was he able to purchase an ar-style rifle? plus monday night football. that celebrated theme song we all know. >> i mean, to be a part of that

iconic booth. >> behind the scenes with espn's newest football broadcasters, legends troy aikman and joe buck. >> that's how they do that. >> when i hear that. ♪ let's go! >> their pregame rituals. >> i tie his tie. i put his coat on. >> my road wife. he is good. >> and the world cup. >> this is the game that history tells us the u.s. really has to win. >> team usa takes the field. its first tournament match in eight years. >> "nightline" will be right back. when you can barely smell your plug-in, what are your guests smelling? try febreze fade defy plug. it has built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell first day fresh for 50 days. ♪la la la la la♪

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covered california, this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31st at coveredca.com. ♪ thanks for joining us. tonight, a harrowing story of loss and survival at club q in colorado as the suspect now faces multiple murder and hate crime charges, stories of heroism as well as reminders that those lost in the mass shooting were people out for a night of fun and dancing. the latest alleged act of hate raising the question once again, why does this keep happening in america. here is abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman. >> when i called my mom and said, "mom, i'm okay. there has been a shooting at club q." and that's kind of all i remember. i kept saying that over and over

again. "i'm okay." "i am okay." because i think i also needed to believe it myself. ♪ happy birthday ♪ >> on saturday night, matt kent was celebrating his birthday at club q, an lgbtq club in colorado springs. >> it was the sound of like a speaker blowing out. just a very loud couple of pops. and most of the dance floor i think thought it was music. >> but it wasn't music. just before midnight, a man opened fire on the crowd with an a ar-style rifle. >> reports of 10 people shot. this is a mass casualty. >> one woman shot, knocked wyatt to the ground. >> she was hit in the chest. so she bled out on me. i helped her take her last breath. >> and i'm not sure that's something you can ever shake. >> i'm just so thankful to her. >> because she saved your life?

>> i'm alive because of her. >> it was so scary. i heard shots, broken glass, bodies. it was -- how, why? >> it was absolute chaos. people were running, screaming. the screaming intensified as people became aware of what was happening. >> by midnight, the first police officers arriving at the scene. and by 12:02 a.m., five minutes after the first 911 call, the suspect was in custody. the police chief saying the shooter was stopped by two patrons, thomas james and richard fierro, a decorated combat veteran who charged him and beat the shooter with his own handgun. >> i know i got into mode and i needed to save my family. and that family was that time everybody in the room.

that's what i was trained to do. i saw him and i went and got him. >> in just a few minutes, at least 17 were wounded and 5 were dead. >> i'm haunted by some of the things i saw last night. when i close my eyes, i'd rather not specify, but what i saw last night was something i will never forget ever in my life. and it's still something i'm trying to trying to unsee. >> among the dead were ashley paw, kelly loving, derek rump, ramond green vance, and wyatt's boyfriend, daniel ashton. >> he was funny. he was witty. he could match me in stupid witty comments. i think my favorite thing about him were his eyes. those deep blue pools. i could just get lost looking into his eyes.

>> wyatt told me even though he and daniel had only been together a few months, they were already talking about getting married. >> he told me he was going to show up new year's and drive me to las vegas to the white wedding chapel, and we were going to get married. he told me one time he was really disappointed that they're not doing elvis anymore at the white wedding chapel. and i said it's fine. we can all dress like elvis. i was very lucky, very lucky in those four months. >> for daniel's mother, the grief overwhelming. >> it's just a nightmare that you can't wake up from. and, um, i keep thinking it's a mistake, they've made a mistake, and that he is really alive. he was such a -- he lit up a room. >> police say the 22-year-old suspect was armed with an ar-style rifle, another handgun, and multiple magazines with ammunition. authorities say the rifle was purchased legally.

club q's owners noted that unlike the pulse nightclub shooter, the gunman was a stranger to them. >> he's never spent money on a credit card or id ever scanned in our business that we know of. i think this was a community of target for him. >> he may not have been known at the club, but he was known to law enforcement. the suspect arrested in june of 2021 following an alleged bomb threat he made against his own mother. >> if they breach, i'm going to [ bleep ] blow it to holy hell. so go ahead and come on in, boys. let's [ bleep ] see it! >> ring camera footage showing him surrendering to police in that 2021 incident. the charges were ultimately dropped. authorities expected to charge the alleged shooter anderson lee aldrich with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of hate crimes. club q has been more than just a nightclub. it's been a cornerstone of colorado springs' queer

community. we met gunshot victim ed sanders a the hospital.phe called club . >> club q, going back there just as soon as they open. as soon as i'm able. i'm not going to be afraid or intimidated. it's a family. so you don't drop your family. >> thank you. >> across the country, lgbtq bars and drag shows have come under attack. >> two little girls i support and i love. i will never allow you to take them. nope. >> hate crimes are at an 12-year all-time high right now, and a 41% increase against the trans community alone in hate crimes. so we're seeing it as a community. we're feeling it as a community. so unfortunately, it wasn't a surprise. >> glaad ceo sarah ellis telling

abc she believes some lawmakers are contributing to the dangerous environment. thinking past year we saw over 300 anti-lgbtq bills proposed by politicians across this country at the state level for no reason. what we need is legislation that protects us. we need the equality act. we need the respect for marriage act. we don't need legislation that is othering us, that is targeting us. >> for now, the survivors are just trying to find a way forward and trying to find meaning. >> i'm very angry. i'm angry because this man took my friends, took -- took the man i saw the rest of my life with. and i'm angry so much that i have to use it for good. and that's why i can't stop doing drag. daniel wouldn't want me to do that.

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♪ you know, some of the most important ingredients for thanksgiving family, food, and football. and what better way to kick off the holiday week than going behind the scenes of espn's legendary monday night football. here is abc's ashen singh on his

dream assignment. >> reporter: monday night football. that iconic theme song. captivating generations for 52 seasons. bringing the nation together through the victorious moments and even in the wake of national tragedy. and tonight we're there. in the booth -- >> and then you clear the screen, and you can circle somebody. >> that's how they do that. >> reporter: in the control room. >> take. take. >> reporter: and on the field. >> so it's quiet right now. in 24 hours, gillette stadium is about to be rocking. >> reporter: it's a sunday afternoon at gillette stadium, home of the new england patriots. legendary broadcast duo troy aikman and joe buck are already in town to prep for another monday night game. the pats versus the chicago bears. they've been side by side for two decades, announcing more than 300 games and six super bowls together for fox sports. >> the start of a new era here on monday night football. >> reporter: recently making an exciting jump to join the team at espn, which is owned by abc

news' parent company disney. >> i remember the first game we called back on week one, and that theme music for "monday night football" came on. and the hair on my neck stood up. to be a part of that iconic booth. >> reporter: are you guys sick of each other yet? >> no, no. i think there is a lot to our longevity. but i think that's part of it. the viewer at home, i think they can feel that we genuinely care about each other, that we're friends. >> he and i have been together through really serious times in our personal lives, raising kids. both been through divorce. we're basically the same age. he is a guy that i have the utmost respect for. >> reporter: before calling the plays, troy aikman was best known as the hall of fame quarterback for the dallas cowboys. winning three super bowl rings in the early '90s. joe buck has been in the booth since he was just 25 years old and has called world series, all-star games and u.s. opens. following in the footsteps of

his famed father, radio announcer jack buck. >> my dad would be so proud. he died 20 years ago, but he would be so proud that his kid, or he called me pop, that his pop was doing "monday night football." >> there are so many people involved in putting on a production like "monday night football." and there is a lot of the behind-the-scenes people that don't get talked about enough. but it takes an army in order to pull this off. >> reporter: you've got six production trucks that travel with the "monday night" crew every week. it has over 125 employees and most of the production that happens from "monday night football," it happens here. let's go check it out. espn director jimmy platt is the one responsible for what you actually see on your screen during the game. >> 24 hours to kickoff, it's quiet here right now. >> yep. >> reporter: what does this place look like during a game? >> it will be quiet tomorrow during the game too. i think when you're able to execute at a really high level,

you do it just like, this right? calm, measured, and under control. because in the heat of the chaos and the game, right, if you let the game speed you up, you end up making mistakes or things fall through the cracks that probably shouldn't. >> reporter: less than 12 hours later, we're headed back to the stadium, where the staff is working to get the field ready. and the most dedicated fans are braving the brutal new england weather. >> about a couple of hours before kickoff. and it already looks like, smells like, feels like "monday night football." the duo are joining a monday night mainstay. lisa salters has been reporting from the sidelines for over a decade. what's it like for you watching more and more women get involved? >> oh, i love it. a lot of times still i'm the only women in the room in a production meeting or with teams and coaches. it's always been that way, and it's never -- and i'm always the only woman of color who has been in the room. but i love seeing more and more women. >> reporter: what makes monday night so special? >> it's iconic. it's been around for as long as

we can remember, from my very first game to now, when i heard that -- da da da da, i'm let's go! >> reporter: what's going through your head? you're tired? >> i don't feel it. i think we're in big trouble. no, i'm feeling it. >> reporter: you're waiting for the music to hit. >> once the music hits, i come alive. >> reporter: before game time, a special invite from the home team's boss, robert kraft. >> she is here. you got to like this team. it's fun. >> you know what? we've got a lot of fun guys and the defense is coming together. >> mr. kraft, thank you so much. >> pleasure. >> reporter: do you have rituals that people don't know about? any superstitions, that maybe you carried over from playing with the cowboys? >> no. i didn't have many as a player. i ate the same pregame meal and i had the same player pull my jersey over my shoulder pads every week. that was kind of it. >> does joe help you now? >> i tie his tie, put his coat

on, pull his shirt on. >> jimmy: y >> you get him fixed up. >> he goes through countless hours of film to get ready for each game. and that's not part of my preparation. mine is more reading and looking at numbers. and making sure i'm up to date on all the different story lines that are going on with these two teams. >> it's now off to the boost where joe and troy will finish. >> these notes are meticulous. >> you should see his. don't tell him i'm doing this. >> reporter: right. and the penmanship? >> yeah. >> reporter: i'm looking at the booth, and it almost looks like a television control room. do you mind walking us through some of the tech? do you the tablet that you do x's and o's on? >> reporter: it's troy's, right? >> that's this. and then you clear the screen, and you can circle something. clear the screen.

and numbered circle, two, three. they have 12 men on the field, four five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12. that's how they do that. >> reporter: that's how they do that. >> and now welcome inside the broadcast booth, everybody. i am joe buck. that's troy aikman, the hall of famer. >> reporter: finally, it's the moment everyone has been preparing for. kickoff. >> take 6, push. ready, three. take. 3017, take. 37, take. 48, take. 45, take. 50, take. 42, take. got the fingers out, josh. >> reporter: troy, what's one thing the audiences don't know about joe? >> you can't be joe buck without put manage the time and the effort and being meticulous about it. and he does that. >> reporter: joe, what's one thing audiences don't know about troy? >> he is a great dad. he is a girl dad, and he is a great dad. and his daughters are his world.

i think the human side of him gets lost a lot, because he is so good, and he was wired to be a championship player. >> reporter: after the final whistle, a sense of relief in the booth. these guys just had their own kind of game day. >> i can still feel it after standing with you guys. after a full game your adrenaline must be pumping. how do you come down after a game like this? >> the minute after the camera goes off, the tie coming off, and i'm going to schlump my way back to the car, and i'll be tyred getting out of here. okay. on to next week. >> reporter: for joe and troy, it's on to next week. but the magic of "monday night football," they bring that with them. >> see you, buddy. >> after the first game in seattle, i tried. >> reporter: after all the games you've done? >> after all the games that he and i have done, i have done personally, it was just emotional. this has been already the most rewarding season that i've ever been a part of. >> and for us to continue to get together and work, it's been

awesome. i mean, there is no other way to say it. >> see you, boys! >> our thanks to ashen. coming up, the world cup. team usa plays their first match in the tournament. as someone living with type 2 diabetes, i want to keep it real and talk about some risks. with type 2 diabetes you have up to 4 times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. even at your a1c goal, you're still at risk ...which if ignored could bring you here... ...may put you in one of those... ...or even worse. too much? that's the point. get real about your risks and do something about it. talk to your health care provider about ways to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. learn more at getrealaboutdiabetes.com that's the thing about claims, you see. they don't happen on your schedule. i mean, take a chestnut, it doesn't just say “oh, beg pardon, but is now a good time for a jolly bit of window cracking?” near as i can tell, chestnuts don't talk. geico. your claims team is here for you, 24/7.

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and finally tonight, world team usa appearing in their first tournament in eight years, taking the field against wales in qatar. it ended in a tie. up next, team usa squares off against england on friday. that's "nightline" for tonight. you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you rig ♪music playing♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪