NPR

Army veteran who stopped Club Q shooter wanted to protect everyone inside like family

Army veteran Richard Fierro was enjoying a night out with his family when a gunman opened fire on a fay club in Colorado Springs. Fierro said he went into "combat mode" to take down the shooter.
A part of a memorial is seen outside of Club Q on Tuesday in Colorado Springs, Colo. A gunman opened fire inside the LGBTQ+ club on Saturday, killing five people.

When the gunfire began inside Club Q, a Colorado Springs gay club, on Saturday night, Army veteran Richard Fierro went into "combat mode," as he put it, and tried to do all he could to stop the shooter from hurting people.

Fierro was with his family at the club that evening and said that when the shooting began, "that whole group in that building was my family ... and I had to do something." Years of Army training and combat experience kicked in, Fierro said, and he

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readInternational Relations
Newly Elected Prime Minister In Solomon Islands Is Likely To Keep Close China Ties
Solomon Islands lawmakers elected former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister Thursday in a development that suggests the South Pacific island nation will maintain close ties with China.
NPR5 min readWorld
Violence Erupts At UCLA As Protests Over Israel's War In Gaza Escalate Across The U.S.
Members of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups in Los Angeles clashed, with reports of fireworks and pepper spray use. Elsewhere, universities are tearing down encampments and arresting students.
NPR4 min read
The Announcement Of A New Prime Minister Divides Haiti's Transitional Council
A surprise announcement that revealed Haiti's new prime minister is threatening to fracture a recently installed transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for the gang-riddled country.

Related Books & Audiobooks