Eyewitness suggest that “multiple people” were hit in the incident and that there have been a number of fatalities.

Club Q – where the incident took place – advertises itself as an “Adult-oriented gay & lesbian nightclub hosting theme nights such as karaoke, drag shows & DJs”.

India and UK news outlets had it first online before the local Colorado Springs news reported the story. We were not sure at first but did see the police department do a live story.

Footage shared on the social media site show a huge police and emergency response, with ambulances lining the streets outside the club.

One user, who said they were using an EMS police scanner to check for updates, said at least 10 people have been shot – though this information is unconfirmed.

Another unconfirmed report claimed the suspect used a sniper rifle in the barbaric attack.

The attack comes on the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is observed annually on November 20 to memorialise anyone murdered as a result of transphobia.

Gaby Lamah, 32, who has been visiting the club since she was 19, told The Mirror how she and her friends made a “last minute decision” not to visit the venue last night.

She said Club Q is one of a limited number of nightclubs catering for the LGBTQ+ community in Colorado Springs.

She told The Mirror: “Club Q has always been a calm, loving energy”.

When asked how she felt after hearing the news, Gaby said: “Angry. Heartbroken. I’m not sure I could back there and not be anxious the entire time.

“It feels like our world is going backwards instead of forwards.”

The incident appears reminiscent of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 when a gunman stormed a gay nightclub in Florida and killed 50 people and injuring at least 53 others.

The ‘lone’ attacker, identified as Omar Mateen, 29, entered Orlando’s Pulse club shortly before 2am local time (6am GMT), where hundreds of revellers were partying.

Armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, he then took terrified victims hostage before opening fire, showering the venue in a hail of bullets.