The military veteran who subdued the gunman responsible for the LGBTQ+ nightclub shooting in Colorado has spoken out about the terrifying ordeal.
Richard Fierro - a 15-year US army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan - was with his wife, daughter, his daughter's boyfriend Raymond Vance, and their friends at Club Q in Colorado Springs for a drag performance when a gunman reportedly opened fire in the venue, fatally shooting five people and injuring at least 18 others. Sadly, his daughter's boyfriend was one of the victims.
On Monday (November 21), police revealed the identities of the five victims who lost their lives in the violent attack, naming Daniel Aston, 28, Derrick Rump, 38, Kelly Loving, 40, Ashley Paugh, 35, and Raymond Vance, via BBC. Aston and Rump were both bartenders at the club.
Police have named 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich - who is currently in hospital - as a suspect. He is accused of carrying out the senseless killings with a long rifle.
Fierro - who now owns a local brewery - spoke to The New York Times about his immediate decision to take action, stating: "I don't know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode. I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us."
He told The Denver Channel that he fell to the ground when he heard the initial shots, dragging a friend with him. Then, when he saw the gunman making his way across the club, he decided to tackle the assailant by grabbing his body armor.
"Was he shooting at the time? Was he about to shoot? I don't know. I just knew I had to take him down," Fierro said.
While the shooter's rifle was out of reach, Fierro stated that he noticed an extra pistol nearby that apparently belonged to the gunman.
"I grabbed the gun out of his hand and just started hitting him in the head, over and over," the quick-thinking vet stated, adding that another clubgoer came over and took the shooter's rifle away.
A drag queen further intervened, allegedly using her heel to stomp the gunman as Fierro continued hitting him on the head with the pistol.
The police eventually arrived at the scene, taking Fierro - who was covered in blood - away in handcuffs and placing him in the back of the police car for over an hour, per PEOPLE.
Since then Fierro has told The Washington Post: "I had my whole Colorado Springs family in there. I had to do something: He was not going to kill my family. I just want people to take care of people, the people who are hurt and no longer with us. I still got two of my best friends who are in the hospital. They still need prayers; they still need support."
A police investigation is currently underway, with officers working to determine whether the shooting - which occurred on the Transgender Day of Remembrance - was a hate crime. Experts are also looking into the ownership of both the rifle and the pistol.
The BBC has detailed that the suspect was previously known to the police and came to their attention over a bomb threat in 2021.
Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Vance - and anybody else affected by this attack - at this difficult time.
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