Heroism Overpowers Hate

HEROISM OVERPOWERS HATE

Two former military men—one straight, one gay— fought back against a gunman hell bent on causing harm and taking lives. Their heroism saved many from injury and death, igniting hope in the face of hate.

PHOTO BY JACK DEMPSEY/AP PHOTO

Richard Fierro talks during a news conference outside his home about his efforts to subdue the gunman in Saturday's fatal shooting at Club Q, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD “RICH” FIERRO BY JOHN SOTOMAYOR

Richard “Rich” Fierro had just returned from Oklahoma for work on Friday night, November 18, 2022. He and his wife, Jess, own Atrevida Beer Co, a local brewery in Colorado Springs founded in May 2022. It was Saturday, November 19th and Fierro, Jess, and their daughter, Kassy, wanted to go out for dinner, so they went to West Side Tequila and Tacos in Manatee. The three of them met Raymond “Ray” Green Vance, Kassy’s boyfriend of six years, and their friends, Chip and Joanne there. The group had a great dinner. Kassy mentioned earlier in the day that she wanted to see Wyatt, her best friend since the second grade, perform his act as Potted Plant, his drag name, at Q, (as Fierro calls Club Q) on his birthday.

The group entered the Q and got a table right o the stage, tucked away in the corner facing away from the front door, facing toward the stage.

“I had my back to the hallway where we come from the bathroom or the front door,” said Fierro. “We had a great time, we watched the whole show, and the show finished so they turned on some music. The girls wanted to dance, so they were dancing, Raymond was dancing. I danced for a little bit, so did Chip. So, we were all having a great time.” The group enjoyed a Saturday night out, as so many do every weekend. “Raymond bought shots because I teased him at dinner for not paying, so he was buying shots for everyone,” said Fierro.

“I heard the first round go off, and it was a burst,” said Fierro. “I looked over my right shoulder, and I could hear it and knew what it was. It was not [part of] the music to me.”

Fierro could smell the nitroglycerin, sawdust, and graphite in the air, which he called cordite and described as “pretty pungent.” He turned to orient himself to determine where it was coming from. He saw the muzzle ashes pointing toward the bar area. He dove to the ground along with Chip. The gunman, who at 6’5” and over 300 lbs. was an imposing figure, shot and killed two bartenders, then began to shoot at anyone nearby.

Fierro’s Background

According to his biography on the San Diego State University website, Fierro graduated in 1999 with an AROTC Distinguished Military Degree. He spent the next 15 years in the Army holding various positions, including platoon commander, battery commander, battalion operations o icer, brigade planning o icer, and corps fire o icer. He completed his MBA last year at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Retaliation

Fierro, a former Army Major who served 15 years, saw combat in Afghanistan. He had fire fights, with vehicles blowing up in front of him. “This was reactionary,” said Fierro, speaking of the Club Q shooting. “Like military combat, take charge and go.” Fierro states his military training instilled that instantaneous reactionary response.

Army Major Richard Fierro on patrol in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, October 8, 2011.

“I tried to get back up, the floor was slippery, so I fell backwards into a bench along the wall,” said Fierro, describing in his words his altercation with the gunman. “I looked up, and all I saw was the ACU pattern vest in the frame of the patio door. So, he was across the room facing [away from me] toward the patio, so I knew… I just got up and engaged. When I got there, he was already fighting with Thomas [James]. So, they were engaged, so we both engaged with him, and at some point, he either raised his sts at me or something, but I saw the pistol and I grabbed it out of his hands or fought with him over it.”

Fierro’s account of the altercation in his interview with Embrace Magazine provided an important piece of information that differs from all other news reports of the altercation, which state that Fierro grappled with the gunman, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, first and shouted to Thomas James, a U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class who was unknown to Fierro but located nearby, to help him. Fierro says that is not correct. That James had already grappled with the gunman first and on his own, not under Fierro’s direction.

“I started using [the gun] on his lower body because his armor was in the way, and Thomas was working on his head,” continued Fierro. “Then we got him to the ground, and I started using the pistol on the back of his head. Thomas [James] was at the front of his head, and I told him to just keep kicking, kick, kick, kick. And he was kicking, and I told him to move the AR-15 out of the way, and he pushed it away. At some point, [Aldrich] grabbed a magazine that was either on the floor or somewhere and I threw that away from him.

I saw Thomas slowing down. This took about six minutes — it was two boxing rounds — it took forever.”

James continued to kick Aldrich’s head while Fierro called out for someone to call 911, get some help. According to Fierro, he and James were motivating each other to stay in the fight. “I was trying to get him to keep kicking and keep myself from getting tired,” said Fierro. “I kept telling [Aldrich] I was going to kill him, he tried to kill my family.”

Fierro noticed James slowing down. At that moment, he saw a trans woman running by. He yelled out to her to kick Aldrich in the head. “I remember three or four kicks, I don’t know the exact number, it doesn’t matter, but I remember the high heels going down on the guy’s head while I was swinging on the back of his head. She kicked him in his face, which is where Thomas was kicking him too, so [Aldrich] took quite a few licks there.”

Fierro continued hitting Aldrich in the back of the head with the pistol. When the police entered the club, the music stopped, and the lights came on.

“Once the police entered, I saw the flashlight of the cops and they came at me,” said Fierro. “I put my hands up and dropped the weapon.”

Fierro told the police “this is the shooter” then pointed toward the AR15 to show them where they could find it. Fierro knew James was hurt. He did not know the exact nature or extent of James’ injuries, but he did know the AR-15 was still within reach.

“I told the cops ‘Hey, this guy [James] is helping me, this guy [Aldrich] is the shooter,’” said Fierro.

Fallout

Fierro got up, walked across the room, and returned to where he was originally seated with his family and friends. He saw Joanne laying there, shot several times.

“She had five in her, I started talking to her, trying to keep her from fading on us,” said Fierro. “She was losing a lot of blood… we didn’t know if she was going to make it. I told her to keep looking at me. One of the cops came in and I told him where to put the tourniquet on her arm and the other two on her legs. I had them put a second tourniquet on her arm as well.”

Chip was shot in both knees. “He was reaching for her,” said Fierro. “You could see it in his eyes, he did not think she was going to make it.”

Joanne could not move her arm, so Fierro placed her hand in Chip’s. He repeatedly told them they were going to be alright. The police placed a tourniquet on Chip, who was still feeling pain. Looking into Joanne’s face trying to calm her down was the last thing Fierro remembered before he was tackled by police.

“I could hear [the gun re] and knew what it was…. This was reactionary. Like military combat, take charge and go.”

“As I was going down, I saw my wife kind of zombie-out walking by and my daughter poked her head out from the curtains because she was in the back room with a young man named Joshua, and another performer,” said Fierro. “It turned out my wife was on the patio at the moment [Aldrich] was facing the patio [about to begin shooting].”

His daughter, Kassy, was on the dance floor when the shooting began, so she got pulled to the back with others. His wife, Jess, followed the ow of those eeing toward the patio.

The police, mistaking Fierro who was covered in blood as a possible attacker, dragged him out. This was a difficult moment for Fierro. “I was performing first aid when they cu ed me and dragged me out… I was pissed-o that they were doing this to me,” said Fierro. “Then everyone outside thought I was the shooter, so they were all yelling and cussing at me, and the cops had to keep them o me as well.”

Fierro spent roughly an hour in the back of the police car yelling at the policeman. They finally let him go and he was reunited with his wife and daughter. None of them saw Ray at any point. They assumed he was in the other room, and hoped he was safe. The next day, Fierro and his family were at the police station and reported they could not nd Ray. Kassy called Ray’s mother in the morning to let her know that he was at Q with them, and they have not seen him since the shooting. His mother went looking for Ray. That afternoon, the Fierros received a call from Ray's mother; her son had not survived the shooting.

Richard Fierro consoles his daughter as she signs a plaque to her slain boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance, at a memorial outside of Club Q on November 22, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Heroes

Along with Ray, four other people were killed: Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh. Another 17 were injured. If it were not for the heroic actions of Fierro and James, many more would have surely been killed. Attempts were made by Embrace Magazine to reach James. According to Lt. Pamela Castro 2153, Public Information Officer of the Colorado Springs Police Department, James had declined almost all interviews to that point.

“I would think, and I would hope, that anyone who had their kid in that room would have done the same thing.”

According to coverage by CBS and NBC news, James, through a Centura Health spokesman, issued a statement on Sunday, November 27, 2022 for the first time since the shooting at Club Q.

“I simply wanted to save the family I found,” James said. “If I had my way, I would shield everyone I could from the nonsensical acts of hate in the world, but I am only one person.”

“Thankfully, we are family, and family looks after one another,” James continued. “We came a long way from Stonewall. Bullies aren’t invincible. I want to support everyone who has known the pain and loss that have been all too common these past few years. My thoughts are with those we lost on Nov. 19, and those who are still recovering from their injuries. To the youth, I say be brave. Your family is out there. You are loved and valued. So, when you come out of the closet, come out swinging.”

At the time, it was reported that James was recuperating at Centura Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, where a number of victims were taken following the shooting, from unidentified wounds. James’ status is presently stable, according to a hospital official.

According to LGBTQNation, James’s friend David Wehlan told NYT that He was not shocked to learn about James’ heroic actions.

“It didn’t matter where it would be. If Thomas was somewhere and gun re lit out, quiet Thomas would be the one who would jump up and run to protect people,” Wehlan said. “Because if you just know him, you know that he doesn’t want to see people hurt.”

At the time of this interview in mid-December 2022, Fierro was asked how Joanne and Chip were doing.

“[Joanne] is still in the hospital… she still has a long way to go,” said Fierro. “[Chip] is out [of the hospital] but is still in post-op working on physical therapy, get back to walking.” Chip sees Joanne at the hospital everyday while also looking after their two young children.

“[Kassy] is at her post-op right now, she had her surgery last week, so they put her knee back together,” said Fierro. She is healing from her physical injuries but as Fierro said, “she is dealing with the loss of her boyfriend more.”

The Fierro family attended the funeral service for Raymond. Cassie was given the opportunity to speak. That allowed her to have some closure to the travesty that occurred. “As a family, we are doing okay, but who knows,” said Fierro. “This is sort of a forever thing.”

According to the Colorado Sun, Major John Suthers spoke to Fierro on Monday after the shooting and praised his quick action in disarming the shooter. “I have never encountered a person who had engaged in such heroic actions that was so humble about it. He simply said to me, ‘I was trying to protect my family,’” Suthers said.

When asked his thoughts about the Pulse shooting in 2016, Fierro replied, “All I know is what the co-owner of Club Q, Matthew Haynes, told me, which is that he spoke with the owner of Pulse [Barbara Poma]. The major difference was the time. We got to him within 2 minutes of his gun re, while the gunman in Pulse was in there killing people for upward of three hours. The time difference and the number of casualties.”

When asked about mass shootings, Fierro replied, “These attacks happen to everyone. The Walmart shooting [targeted or victimized] Latinos. It is just sickening that there is so much hate and for [some] people to think this is OK.” Fierro continued, “My thing is for people just to be nice to one another. If that person is thinking of doing something stupid gets someone is paying attention to him in a good way, maybe they won’t do something so negative.”

On his thoughts about security in public places, Fierro replied, “Club Q never had an incident like this before. It has never happened in my brewery. I do not want my customers to feel like they are entering a military zone (by going through metal detector security checkpoints) … there is a balance there somewhere. I don’t know what that is, but we need to look at it before we decide everyone needs a gun, and everything needs to be locked down.”

When asked about heroism in the face of hatred, Fierro replied, “Everyone wants to protect their kids, and until you are in a position where your kid is actually threatened by someone with an ALR, no one knows how they are going to react. I would think, and I would hope, that anyone who had their kid in that room, would have done the same thing.”

Colorado Healing Fund

A group of victim advocates and local officials established the Colorado Healing Fund (CHF) in 2018 to create a safe means for the public to donate to Colorado’s mass casualty crime victims. The o ice of the Colorado Attorney General provided the initial financing. The CHF is currently in operation for the November 20, 2022, Club Q Colorado Springs Tragedy. In the wake of widespread violence, victims require both urgent and long-term assistance; CHF offers a safe way to donate to those affected. Donations donated to Club Q during the six month activation period (November 20–May 20) will go entirely toward helping the victims and those who will be directly impacted. For more information or to donate, visit coloradohealing fund.org