An Army veteran took down the alleged Colorado gunman by tackling him and beating the suspect with his own gun, according to reports.
Twenty-two year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich was taken into custody on charges of killing five and injuring more than 25 after allegedly opening fire at Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. Authorities responded to a report of a shooting around 11:57 p.m, Sunday night.
But it was Richard M. Fierro who likely prevented more carnage by springing into action. Fierro was apparently at Club Q with his wife, daughter and friends when shots were fired. Fierro, who had four combat deployments as an Army officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, immediately sprung into action, according to The New York Times.
Incredible story about Army veteran Richard M. Fierro, whose heroism stopped the gunman from killing more people in the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs.
Shared with subscriber gift link so everyone can read. https://t.co/Aybu6lgU5v
— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) November 21, 2022
“I don’t know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode,” Fierro said, according to The New York Times. “I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us.”
Fierro said when the shooting began he dropped to the floor and watched the gunman move across the bar. Fierro said he ran across the room, grabbed the suspect by the handle on the back of his body armor and dragged him to the floor to tackle him. The gunman reportedly dropped his rifle, which Fierro lunged for until he noticed the suspect going for a pistol, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘They Needed A New Boogeyman’: NBC Reporter Blames ‘QAnon Narrative’ For Colorado Springs Shooting)
“I grabbed the gun out of his hand and just started hitting him in the head, over and over,” Fierro recounted, saying he begged other patrons to help subdue the suspected killer. Fierro kept hitting the gunman’s head while one of the drag dancers used their heel to stomp on his head, according to the outlet.
“I told him while I was hitting him, ‘I’m going to fucking kill you man, because you tried to kill my friends.’ My family was in there, my little girl was in there,” Fierro told CNN on Monday night.
Authorities arrived on scene shortly thereafter and took Aldrich into custody, according to the outlet.
Fierro was awarded the bronze star twice, according to the NYT.
“I was done with war,” he told the outlet.