An officer of the United States Navy who helped prevent a mass shooting at a gay club in Colorado Springs stated, “I simply wanted to save the family I found.”
Thomas James, a petty officer second class, reportedly moved a rifle out of the shooter’s reach, while army veteran Richard Fierro repeatedly attacked the assailant with his firearm.
The attack on November 19 at Club Q resulted in five deaths and 18 injuries.
On Sunday, Mr. James published a statement.
If I could, I would shield everyone I could from the senseless acts of hatred in the world, but I am only one person,” the navy officer stated in his first public remarks since the attack.
“Thank goodness, we’re family, and family takes care of one another.”
He remarked that the LGBT community had “gone a long way from Stonewall” – the famous New York gay club that was the epicenter of the US gay rights struggle in the 1960s and 1970s – and added, “Bullying is not unstoppable.”
Mr. James, who is recovering in the hospital from injuries he incurred during the incident, expressed his sympathies for the victims.
“I encourage youth to be courageous,” he concluded. “Your relatives are out there. You are cherished and treasured. Therefore, when you emerge from the shadows, do so with a bang.”
Mr. Fierro, who was at the club with his wife and daughter to watch a show, stated that his military background kicked in when the shooting began.
The previous week, he explained how he subdued the attacker with the assistance of Mr. James and a club performer who stepped on the attacker’s face with her high heels.
Mayor of Colorado Springs John Suthers praised their “extraordinary act of heroism,” stating that they prevented the incident from becoming even worse.
Daniel Aston and Derrick Rump, both bartenders, as well as Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Raymond Vance, were identified by police as the Club Q assault victims.
The suspect, identified by police as non-binary 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, is in police custody at a hospital.
Last week, during a brief court appearance via video link, they sat slumped in a chair, slurred their speech, and had apparent bruising on their face and neck, according to court journalists.
The motivation for the shooting is still under investigation, but preliminary murder and hate crime charges have been filed against the suspect.
