Police Hail ‘Hero’ Bystanders, Including Veteran, Who Took Down Colorado Nightclub Shooting Suspect

People hold a vigil at a makeshift memorial near the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Nov. 20, 2022. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Police in Colorado have identified the two “heroes” who took down the shooter suspected of opening fire at a nightclub last weekend, killing five people and wounding dozens more.

In a statement on Monday, the Colorado Springs Police Department named the two heroic bystanders as Thomas James and Richard Fierro, a decorated Army veteran.

“Their exact actions are part of the investigation, so we can’t discuss the specifics out of respect for the judicial process, but with their permission, we want to acknowledge their heroic actions,” police said.

Police on Monday also identified the victims of the shooting attack as Kelly Loving, 40; Daniel Aston, 28; Derrick Rump, Ashley Paugh, 35; and Raymond Green.

“[O]ften society loses track of the victims of these sad and tragic events. In all the talk about the suspect, we strive to give the victims the dignity and respect that they deserve, as well as shine the light of public attention on the victims,” Police Chief Adrian Vasquez told reporters during a press conference.

Colorado Springs police, the FBI, and others investigate the scene of a shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Nov. 20, 2022. Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via AP

Suspect Arrested

Officials also confirmed that five people were killed in the shooting at Club Q, an LGBT club in Colorado Springs, on Saturday while 17 others suffered gunshot wounds.

One other individual was injured in the shooting attack but police said this was not due to a gunshot wound. Another member of the community who was a victim displayed no visible signs of injuries.

Earlier on Sunday, police identified the suspect as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich. He faces five counts of first-degree murder and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, although it is unclear if these are formal charges or preliminary charges filed by police.

In their statement on Monday, the Colorado Springs Police Department said that a photograph of Aldrich is not available as he remains in custody at a local hospital.

Officials do not yet have a motive for the attack.

Speaking to The New York Times, army veteran Fierro said that he had been at Club Q with his wife, daughter, and friends on Saturday, watching a drag show when gunfire broke out.

A police officer lifts barricade tape while in their vehicle as they respond to a mass shooting at the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Nov. 20, 2022. Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

‘I Just Went Into Combat Mode’

Fierro, 45, who served as an Army officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he tackled the gunman to the ground and beat him using his own gun before another club patron stepped in and helped.

“I don’t know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode,” Richard Fierro said. “I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us. I grabbed the gun out of his hand and just started hitting him in the head, over and over.”

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers praised the bystanders’ “incredible act of heroism” on Monday and said that he had spoken with Fierro, adding that he has “never encountered a person who engaged in such heroic actions that was so humble about it.”

Elsewhere in a statement on Sunday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis thanked the “brave individuals” who he said had “blocked the gunman, likely saving lives in the process, and for the first responders who responded swiftly to this horrific shooting.”