Wednesday, 27 Aug 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > ‘It’s the reflex’: Veteran helped disarm gunman at gay club
World

‘It’s the reflex’: Veteran helped disarm gunman at gay club

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
‘It’s the reflex’: Veteran helped disarm gunman at gay club
SHARE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — When army veteran Rich Fierro realized a gunman was spraying bullets inside the club where he had gathered with friends and family, instincts from his military training immediately kicked in.

First he ducked to avoid any potential incoming fire, then he moved to try to disarm the shooter.

“It’s the reflex. Go! Go to the fire. Stop the action. Stop the activity. Don’t let no one get hurt. I tried to bring everybody back,” he said Monday outside his home in Colorado Springs, where an American flag hung from the porch.

Fierro is one of two people police are crediting with saving lives by subduing a 22-year-old man armed with multiple firearms, including an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, who went on a shooting rampage Saturday night at Club Q, a well-known gathering place for the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs. Five people were killed and at least 17 wounded.

Fierro was there with his daughter Kassy, her boyfriend and several other friends to see a drag show and celebrate a birthday. He said it was one of the group’s most enjoyable nights. That suddenly changed when the shots rang out and Kassy’s boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, was fatally shot.

Speaking to reporters at his home Monday, Fierro teared up as he recalled Raymond smiling and dancing before the shooting started.

Fierro could smell the cordite from the ammunition, saw the flashes and dove, pushing his friend down before falling backwards.

Looking up from the floor, Fierro saw the shooter’s body armor and the crowd that had fled to the club’s patio. Moving toward the attacker, Fierro grasped the body armor, yanked the shooter down while yelling at another patron, Thomas James, to move the rifle out of reach.

As the shooter was pinned under a barrage of punches from Fierro and kicks to the head from James, he tried to reach for his pistol. Fierro grabbed it and used it as a bludgeon.

“I tried to finish him,” he said.

When a clubgoer ran by in heels, Fierro told her to kick the gunman. She stuffed her high-heeled shoe in the attacker’s face, Fierro said. Del Lusional, a drag queen who performed at Club Q on Saturday night, said on Twitter that the patron who intervened with her heel was a transgender woman.

“I love them,” Fierro said of the city’s LGBTQ community. “I have nothing but love.”

Fierro served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a field artillery officer and left the Army as a major in 2013, an army spokesperson said.

He noted he had dealt with violence. That’s what he signed up for. “Nobody in that club asked to do this,” he said, but everyone “is going to have to live with it now.”

Fierro and James, about whom little was known as of Monday evening, pinned the shooter down until officers arrived minutes later. Fierro was briefly handcuffed and sat in a police car as law enforcement tried to calm the chaos.

“I have never encountered a person who had engaged in such heroic actions who was so humble about it,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said of Fierro on Monday. “He simply said to me, ‘I was trying to protect my family.’”

The suspect, who was said to be carrying multiple guns and additional ammunition magazines, faces murder and hate crime charges.

Fierro’s wife, Jess, said via Facebook that her husband had bruised his right side and injured his hands, knees and ankle. “He was covered in blood,” she wrote on the page of their brewery, Atrevida Beer Co.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that President Joe Biden had spoken with the Fierros. “He offered his condolences to them and also his support and talked through what it’s like to grieve,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden thanked Fierro for his instinct to act and save lives.

Though his actions saved lives, Fierro said the deaths — including his daughter’s boyfriend, Vance — were a tragedy both personal and for the broader community. The self-described “dude from San Diego” who said he was from a family of immigrants rebuffed the idea that he was a hero and asked to keep focus on those whose lives were lost.

“There are five people that I could not help. And one of which was family to me,” he said, as his brother put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

Fierro said he doesn’t remember if the gunman responded as he yelled and struggled to subdue him, but he has thought about their next interaction.

“I’m gonna see that guy in court,” Fierro said. “And that guy’s gonna see who did him.”

___

Metz reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.

___

This story has been updated to correct that a clubgoer, not a performer, helped Fierro subdue the gunman.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Sinbad Learning to Walk Again Two Years After Devastating Stroke Sinbad Learning to Walk Again Two Years After Devastating Stroke
Next Article Rwanda’s electric vehicle push has a faltering start Rwanda’s electric vehicle push has a faltering start

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Jay-Z Blasts Tony Buzbee for Not Even Assembly With Shopper Earlier than Signing on to Case

Jay-Z Why Are You Submitting Instances for Purchasers You Have not Met, Tony?!? Revealed January…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Inside the Apple Store Battle for Union Representation

Apple has hired Littler Mendelson, an employment law firm, to blunt the labor push. It…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Lawmakers cry foul as Biden mulls lifting some sanctions

Joe Biden has readily imposed sanctions against U.S. adversaries throughout his presidency. Now he’s finding…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

‘Jeopardy!’ fans react to clues about Jan. 6 Committee members Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson

A couple of innocuous clues on Jeopardy! left some viewers wondering if the show was…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Porepunkah capturing replace: alleged gunman fled with ‘powerful firearms’ and ‘understands bushcraft well’, police say
World

Porepunkah capturing replace: alleged gunman fled with ‘powerful firearms’ and ‘understands bushcraft well’, police say

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Trump says he desires ‘nothing less than 0m’ from Harvard as feud continues
World

Trump says he desires ‘nothing less than $500m’ from Harvard as feud continues

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Australia politics reside: PM says far-right extremists who consider they’re above the legislation a ‘real concern’; Marles meets Hegseth in DC
World

Australia politics reside: PM says far-right extremists who consider they’re above the legislation a ‘real concern’; Marles meets Hegseth in DC

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Trump threatens tariffs on international locations that ‘discriminate’ towards US tech
World

Trump threatens tariffs on international locations that ‘discriminate’ towards US tech

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?