The Army veteran credited with apprehending the gunman who opened fire in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado says he went into “combat mode” when the shooting occurred.
Richard Fierro, 45, told reporters he was at the nightclub with his wife, daughter, and friends when the shooter opened fire but didn't hesitate to act.
“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,” Fierro explained, saying that he waited until the shooter turned toward the patio before he charged the man. He reportedly used the straps of the shooter's body armor to get a grip on him and pull him to the ground.
The veteran explained that once he had the shooter down, he was able to relieve him of his pistol and beat him with it before asking other patrons to assist in detaining him until law enforcement arrived.
Atrevida Beer Company, which is owned by Fierro and Jess Fierro, separately posted about the horrific shooting which killed 5 people and left more than a dozen injured.
“I have struggled with how to address the horrific series of events that has occurred. My family, friends and I decided to have a fun night out. We went to @clubqcoloradosprings to celebrate another dear friends birthday. Unfortunately, we were all there when the shooter entered. It was absolute havoc. It was terrifying,” Jess posted.
“Kassy broke her knee as she was running for cover. Our best friends were both shot multiple times. I bruised the right side of my body and Rich injured both his hands, knees and ankle as he apprehended the shooter. He was covered in blood,” she continued.
“Everyone is recovering, thankfully. No one. NO ONE should ever have to witness bloodshed like this,” she added, noting that the family was now grieving the loss of her daughter's high school sweetheart.
“With an incredibly heavy and broken heart we lost Raymond, who had been a part of our lives since our daughter was in high school. Raymond was Kassy's boyfriend. We are going to miss him and his bright smile so much,” she concluded. “We are going through a lot of emotions as a family and as a brewery. The loss of lives and the injured are in our hearts. We are devastated and torn. We love our #lgbtq community and stand with them. This cowardly and despicable act of hate has no room in our lives or business. F*** HATE. It has left us and our community scarred but not broken. Much love to everyone.”
Fierro served in the U.S. Army for 15 years where he completed four combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving in 2003 as an officer. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star.
Authorities are holding Anderson Lee Aldrich on charges of killing five people and say that 18 more people were injured in a rampage at the club, a toll which could have been much higher if not for Fierro's heroic actions.
“He saved a lot of lives,” Mayor John Suthers said of Mr. Fierro. The mayor said he had spoken to Mr. Fierro and was struck by his humility. “I have never encountered a person who engaged in such heroic actions and was so humble about it.”
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Why I favor having vets around & or armed populace too
Kudos to Richard and thank your liberal friends for all of this violence. It wasn’t around until they showed up and started it and continually escalating it because they do nottohing to shut it down.