"I am not OK": Man recalls friends being killed in Club Q mass shooting

Joshua Thurman went to Club Q for a night of fun and excitement Saturday night. Instead, he was inside fighting for safety before figuring out his friends were among those killed in the mass shooting that left at least five people dead and more than two dozen hurt. 

"I lost friends, I am not OK," a teary Thurman told CBS Colorado. 

He and many others who attended Club Q that night are in disbelief. 

"I'm sad because it should have been me. No one deserves this you know? It should have been me," Thurman said.  

He recalled being on the dance floor when he heard the gunfire erupt. He thought the sounds were a part of the music until he heard another round go off.

"I saw the flash of the muzzle when I looked to my left and I took off running into the dressing room," Thurman said. 

He was joined by two others seeking safety as they shut off the lights, locked the doors and laid on the floor in silence until police arrived. 

"It was a mix of scared, nervous, trying to be strong and trying not to be loud because even though the doors were locked, there was nothing stopping that man from coming in those doors if he wanted to," Thurman said. 

Fortunately, the gunman didn't find Thurman or the other bystanders as they hid there for some time. Thurman crawled out from the private area and saw a police officer. "I said, 'Officer is it safe to come out now?'"

While being escorted out of the club, Thurman and others saw just how close they were to losing their lives. "Bodies on the ground, blood, shattered glass. It was just heartbreaking." 

Thurman knows it will be a long road to recovery for Club Q and, most importantly, the LGBTQ+ community.

"We're shattered, we're broken. I don't know how we're going to get through this honestly, but we have no choice."