Memorial Held In Tulsa For Victim Of Club Q Mass Shooting

Family and friends of Daniel Aston gathered in Tulsa for his memorial service at All Souls Unitarian Church. Daniel was from the Tulsa area and one of the five people murdered in the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

Daniel was the entertainer and loved friends, family, acting, music, art, and poetry. Friends said Daniel was the reason many people were able to live comfortably in their own skin.

“That was him through and through. You know, he was constantly just doing whatever it took to be a better person, you know even though, in my eyes, he already was as good as it gets,” said Tempest Cartwright, Daniel’s best friend.

“Daniel being a transgender man and for him to be murdered on the Transgender Day of Remembrance is a travesty and a true insult,” said Randy Lewis, Assist. Minister.

The 28-year-old was working as a bartender November 20 when the shooting happened.

“It sucks that he’s not here anymore. It sucks that he can’t tell his own story. But he left such a great impact on people of all communities, and he used his life in such a way where he could really advocate for, you know people of all margins,” said Xochitl Hilbert, Daniel’s High School friend.

“We are still gonna show up at our gay bars. We’re still gonna show up at the churches that welcome us. We’re still gonna show up, hand in hand, with the people we love. We’re gonna still kiss in public. We’re gonna still do the things that bring us healing,” said Lewis.

Daniel graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2013.

Tempest Cartwright was Daniel’s best friend. They even lived and worked together.

“Our friendship just blossomed and took off and we were completely inseparable,” said Cartwright.

Daniel was president of the LGBTQ club at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. He worked at Elote in Downtown Tulsa before moving to be closer to his family in Colorado a couple of years ago.

“His laugh and his eyes. He was just, I mean truly everything,” said Cartwright.

Friends said Daniel existed boldly and unapologetically.

“Dude, I love you so much. Thank you so much for all your help. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for inspiring our friend group,” said Hilbert.

“He was always just a beacon of hope and so many people came to him for answers and guidance,” said Cartwright.

If Daniel was still here, Cartwright said, “I’d just get that last hug that I didn’t get."