Over the weekend, a shooting happened at a club in Colorado Springs. Club Q, Colorado Springs’ only gay club, experienced a shooting that injured over a dozen people and killed five. This club was considered a safe space for the LGBTQ community of Colorado Springs, and this shooting threatened that safety. The shooting occurred during a drag show at Club Q, but the shooter was stopped by Army Veteran Richard Fierro. Keep reading to learn more about what Richard Fierro and his wife, Jessica Fierro, have said about the shooting at Club Q. See more:LGBTQ+ Military Heroes You Need To Know About

Richard Fierro: The Humble Hero

Richard Fierro was at Club Q with his wife, daughter, and friends. They were enjoying the drag show when the shots started ringing throughout the club. Fierro, an Army Veteran, stated that the combat instincts he developed through fifteen years of Army service kicked in. He had served four combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan; these deployments are what caused him to immediately go into “combat mode” as the shots kept firing. Fierro left the Army in 2013 as a major. He describes how he charged through the chaos at the club toward the shooter. He said, “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.” With eighteen injured and five killed, officials say the death toll could have been a lot higher if the shooter, Anderson Lee Aldrich, was not stopped. The mayor of Colorado Springs was impressed by Fierro’s humility with his heroic acts. Mayor John Suthers said, “He saved a lot of lives…I have never encountered a person who engaged in such heroic actions and was so humble about it.”

The Fierro Family

Since leaving the military, Richard Fierro describes how he has enjoyed his time as a civilian and father. This drag show at Club Q was his first drag show, and he was enjoying his time there. He said, “These kids want to live that way, want to have a good time, have at it. I’m happy about it because that is what I fought for, so they can do whatever the h*ll they want.” Fierro was at the club with his wife, Jessica, and their daughter, Kassandra. Kassandra’s boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, and two of their family friends were there watching the drag show. One of Kassandra’s friends was performing, and they all came to show their support. Jessica Fierro also described her experience at the club; she said, “We were having a great time, we were all on the dance floor and from one minute to the next you just heard gunshots and everyone was separated and just started running.” She says that her husband injured his hands, knees, and ankles as he attacked and subdued the shooter.

How You Can Support the Fierro Family

Jessica Fierro owns and operates a craft brewery called Atrevida Beer Co. with her husband. Jessica Fierro credits her inspiration for the brewery back to the time her husband was stationed in Germany. It was here that she experienced true craft beer for the first time; since her time in Germany, Jessica has been on a mission to craft good beer with Mexican-influenced flavors. Jessica and Richard Fierro are the first Latin-owned, woman-run craft brewery in Colorado Springs. If you would like to show your support to the Fierro family, you can order Atrevida merch from their website. If you’re in Colorado or near the Springs area, you can visit their brewery at 204 Mt. View Lane, Suite 3, Colorado Springs, CO.

How You Can Support Club Q

If you would like to support Club Q and the victims of the Club Q shooting, there are resources available. You can find links to donate on the Club Q Facebook page. A former employee of Club Q also set up a GoFundMe page. Good Judy Garage, another LGBTQ-owned business in Colorado Springs, set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the funeral expenses and medical expenses of the victims. Richard Fierro is not just a war hero; he’s also an American hero. He fought for the rights of Americans; he risked his life in Iraq and Afghanistan and risked his life again as he helped apprehend the shooter at Club Q. You can show your support to the Fierro family by supporting their small business, Atrevida Beer Co. Club Q and the rest of America will always be thankful for Richard Fierro and his sacrifices. See more:LGBTQ Veterans in Same-Sex Relationships Eligible for New VA Benefits

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