COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A picture worth a thousand words hangs in the hallway of Sabrina and Jeff Aston's Colorado Springs home.
“We can say hi to him every morning,” said Jeff Aston.
Simple words they wish they could say to their son, Daniel Davis Aston.
“I wish we could have had more time with you. I'm grateful for the time we had. I wish we would have had more,” said Jeff, Daniel's father.
Instead, the two spend time staring into their son's sweet smile and blue eyes. Over time, they've added mementos to a memorial in the front hallway of their home to keep his life and love for others alive.
That time began just before midnight on November 19, 2022, when Daniel was shot and killed while bartending at Club Q.
“It feels like yesterday… [Police] were knocking on the door, and I didn't want to answer it because I knew. I now know what those mothers and wives of the military people feel,” said Sabrina Aston, Daniel's mother.
The shock has shifted to sadness for Sabrina, as she shuffles through old photos. The mother recalls how Daniel, born as Delaney, showed early signs of knowing they were transgender.
“She refused to wear dresses and hated pink. This is her at three,” said Sabrina.
At night, Sabrina's mind wonders if there was anything she could have done to keep her baby safe.
“He loved Club Q, and I said, ‘Why don't you get a regular 8 to 5 job?’ And you know how moms are. And he said, 'Mom, I love Club Q.’ And he had said that shortly before this just happened,” Sabrina recalled.
Daniel came out right before college and eventually underwent hormone therapy and top surgery.
“People always think that trans people are disturbed or whatever. The only time that he was sad was when he was a teenager when he was growing up and he was still in this in-between stage,” said Sabrina.
One year later, the Astons find ways to connect with their son, particularly through writings and other words left behind by Daniel.
One poem of Daniel's reads, “I may always be a lover, but that is just the way these things go. I am soft and I will always be soft. This world will never tame me. This world will never make me hard."
"That was the kind of person the world has lost now because of hate,” said Jeff of the poem.
Club Q Shooting
Club Q: One Year Later
