A chorus of cheers erupted along the Pikes Peak Pride parade route on Sunday as grand marshal Richard Fierro – the local brewery owner and Army veteran who famously tackled the Club Q shooter – banged a drum and waved at the rainbow-clad crowd celebrating Colorado Springs’ LGBT+ community less than seven months after it was attacked.
The city showed up in full force for the first Pride since the November massacre which left five dead – including Raymond Green Vance, the boyfriend of Mr Fierro’s daughter. The names and photos of the victims were front and centre throughout the weekend’s festivities: Daniel Aston, 28; Kelly Loving, 40; Ashley Paugh, 35; Derrick Rump, 38; and Mr Vance, the youngest at just 22. Their family members and other survivors were also marching at the front of the parade on Sunday, one day after Colorado Springs residents gathered for a memorial and commemoration ceremony at the city’s Alamo Square Park.
