A Patron Reportedly Helped Stop The Colorado Nightclub Shooter By Using Heels To Subdue Him

A patron* in heels is being hailed as one of the heroes who helped stop a mass shooting at a 2SLGBTQIA+ nightclub in Colorado over the weekend.

Officials praised several bystanders on Monday for stepping in to stop the attacker, who opened fire late Saturday at Club Q in Colorado Springs. Five people were killed and another 17 were injured in the attack, which ended with the gunman's arrest.

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Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said it could have been worse if not for a few bystanders' "incredible act of heroism."

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, authorities identified two heroes in the shooting: patron Thomas James and U.S. Army vet Richard Fierro. They didn't name another patron who also reportedly helped by using her heels to subdue the suspect.

Fierro spoke to reporters and described the incident in detail on Monday.

Fierro, 45, says he went to the club on Saturday with his wife, his daughter, his daughter's boyfriend and other friends to see a drag show and celebrate a birthday.

When the gunman showed up and started shooting, Fierro says his military training kicked in and he tackled the guy.

"I just ran over there. Got him. I'm thinking, 'I gotta kill this guy. He's gonna kill my kid. He's gonna kill my wife,'" Fierro told reporters on Monday.

"I grabbed (the gunman) by the back of his little cheap ass armor thing and I pulled him down," Fierro said.

He added that he wrestled a pistol out of the gunman's hands and started "whaling" on him with it. Then he called out to other bystanders, including James, and told them to help out by hitting the suspect and kicking his AR-15-style rifle away.

"One of the performers was running by and I told her, 'Kick this guy, kick this guy,' and she took her high heel and stuffed it in his face, or his head or whatever she could hit," Fierro said.

Dozens of police officers responded to the incident, and they initially took both Fierro and the suspect into custody. However, Fierro was later released.

Police have since identified the victims as Kelly Loving (she/her), Daniel Aston (he/him), Derrick Rump (he/him), Ashley Paugh (she/her) and Raymond Green Vance (he/him). Vance was Fierro's daughter's boyfriend.

Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is facing several charges including five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated crime in connection with the incident, CBS News reports. He has not yet appeared in court and was in hospital on Monday.

Investigators are still looking into the motive behind the attack, although the bias-related charges hint at what might have caused it.

The incident is already being compared to the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Florida, which left 49 dead and 53 others wounded.

U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the attack in a statement on Sunday, while also calling for tighter gun control laws.

"We must drive out the inequities that contribute to violence against LGBTQI+ people," he added. "We cannot tolerate hate."

*This story has been updated to reflect that it's unclear if the patron was a drag performer, and their identity remains unknown.

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This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.