The Army veteran who helped take down the Club Q shooter during the November massacre in Colorado Springs will be honoured on Sunday as the grand marshal of the city’s Pride parade, riding in his El Camino truck with his wife, daughter and friends he’d been socializing with on that tragic night – while remembering the sixth, fallen member of their group.
Richard Fierro, 46, a Colorado Springs brewery owner, was in Club Q on November 19 for a drag performance with his wife, Jess; their daughter, Kassandra, and her boyfriend, Raymond Green Vance; and two other friends. When a shooter opened fire in the venue, Mr Fierro’s 15 years in the US Army – including combat experience – kicked in back on civilian soil. He helped tackle the heavily-armed Anderson Lee Aldrich to the ground and continued to subdue the shooter until officers arrived.
