The owner of an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that was the scene of a mass shooting over the weekend in which five people were killed and 17 others were injured has not yet been able to thank a veteran of the United States Army who assisted in bringing the shooter under control in person.
Richard Fierro is being hailed as a hero for his actions during the rampage that took place on Saturday night. However, during a joint remote interview on CNN on Tuesday, Nic Grzecka, the co-owner of Club Q, openly lauded Fierro for his bravery.
“Richard, thank you,” Grzecka added. You played a significant role in preventing many more lives from being lost and preventing the situation from being even direr than it already was. We applaud you. I simply cannot wait to envelop you in a bear hug.
Due to the fact that he put his life in danger in order to disarm the shooter, Grzecka referred to Fierro as “an angel to many people in our community.”
Police claim that 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich opened fire inside the club when Fierro, his daughter, her boyfriend, and many other friends were there to celebrate a birthday and see a drag show. The shooter has been named Anderson Lee Aldrich. Fierro, who served in the military for 15 years, including four deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, claimed that his fighting instincts kicked in. Fierro served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
He explained to the media what happened Monday evening by saying, “I wasn’t thinking.” I really just raced over there and grabbed him.
Fierro was successful in disarming Aldrich and pinning him down to the ground. He recalls thinking to himself, “I have no choice but to kill this guy.” “He is going to kill my baby, and he is going to kill my wife,” the man said.
A second customer, who the authorities have identified as Thomas James, assisted Fierro in holding the armed suspect down until police arrived. Fierro explained his actions by saying, “I simply kept whaling on him, and I instructed the person in front of me, ‘Kick him in his skull.'”
Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh, Kelly Loving, and Raymond Green Vance, the boyfriend of Fierro’s daughter, were the victims who were identified by the police as having passed away. “He ended up killing my daughter’s boyfriend,” Fierro added.
According to the documents filed in court, Aldrich is being charged with five counts of murder as well as hate crimes.
According to the police, there were also 17 more people shot inside the bar. People who identify as LGBTQ in the community have referred to Club Q as a safe haven for them.
The Chief of Police for the city of Colorado Springs, Adam Vasquez, held a news conference on Monday evening in which he praised Officer Fierro for both his conduct and his humility.
“I have never come across a person who had engaged in such heroic deeds and was so humble about it,” said Vasquez. “I find that to be really unusual.” “All he said to me was, ‘I was trying to protect my family,'” I recalled him saying.
