A gunman opened fire killing five people and injuring 18 at a gay club in Colarado Springs.

Eyewitnesses 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’.

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

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

Police rushed to the scene outside of the gay club in Colorado Springs (Picture:@IntelPointAlert/Twitter)

Emergency services rushed to help the injured people who were shot inside the club (Picture:@IntelPointAlert/Twitter)

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Hours after the horrific shooting, Colorado Springs police confirmed that five people had been killed in the Club Q shooting with another 18 injured.

They have not yet revealed the condition of those hospitalised.

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

Club Q bartender, Michael Anderson, has spoken of his fear.

He told The Mirror: ‘I was afraid I was going to die. I was preparing to get shot, when the shots then stopped.

‘After a minute or two I wasn’t sure if it was over or not, so I got up and decided to make a run for it. I found a man lying on the floor being shot in the neck.’

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.’

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A member of bar staff has spoken of their fear the moment the gunman opened fire.