Photo of Colorado shooting suspect shows significant bruising and swelling

Colorado Springs Police Department

The alleged Colorado shooter appears in court for the first time since the mass murder.

Anderson Lee Aldrich – who appeared bloodied and bruised, with extensive facial damage – appeared on video for the judge on Wednesday for a hearing in the case. Aldrich's time with the judge lasted only a few minutes, without much significance; they will be back in court on December 6.

In legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Aldrich's public defender says his client uses his pronouns and will be referred to as Mx. Aldrich in future proceedings. This is the first time Aldrich has claimed to be part of the LGBT community on paper or even publicly.

Getty

The problem... it doesn't appear that Aldrich has ever been identified as non-binary in the past. From what we've seen... Aldrich never used those pronouns. So, naturally, many are wondering if this could be a game to avoid federal hate crime charges.