A 15-year Army veteran described how "reflex" sent him charging through a crowd in combat mode to tackle a gunman spraying bullets and prevent further tragedy at an LGBTQ club in Colorado over the weekend.
Richard Fierro spoke to reporters outside his home on Nov. 21 about subduing a gunman with multiple firearms who police say killed five people and wounded at least 19 others in an attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs on Nov. 19.
"I just know I got into mode," Fierro said. "And I needed to save my family. And that family was, at that time, everybody in the room."
Fierro was at the club with his wife, daughter, her boyfriend and friends for a drag show. When he heard the sound of bullets and saw muzzle flashes, the Army veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan felt his instincts kick in.
"It’s the reflex," he said. "Go to the fire. Stop the action. Stop the activity. Don’t let no one get hurt."
“I have never encountered a person who had engaged in such heroic actions that were so humble about it,” Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said about Fierro at a press conference on Nov. 21.
Fierro said he tackled the gunman, who was wearing full body armor. He knocked a rifle out of the gunman's hands before also wrestling away a handgun and using it to bludgeon the shooter.
The military veteran also called for a nearby drag performer to help him neutralize the gunman.
"I told her, 'Kick this guy, kick this guy,'" he said. "And she took her high heel and stuffed it in his face."
The tragedy directly hit home for Fierro, as Raymond Green Bantz, 22, the boyfriend of his daughter, Kassy, was killed in the attack.
"He’s a good kid, man," he said tearfully. "And I loved him."
Police also released the identities of the four other people who were killed. They included Ashley Paugh, 35, a loving wife and mother of an 11-year-old girl, and a pair of bartenders at the club, Daniel Aston, 28, and Derrick Rump. Kelly Loving, a 40-year-old transgender woman who was enjoying a night at the club, was also killed.
The accused 22-year-old gunman was arrested on five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of bias-motivated or hate crimes, according to prosecutors. The suspect remains in police custody in a hospital.
Ed Sanders, who was wounded in the attack, spoke to NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky on TODAY from his hospital bed.
"I want people to just show some love to the LGBT people in their lives," Sanders said. "Friends or family, we deserve the respect and the love like anyone does. And I hope that that’s what will come from this."
Fierro delivered a similar sentiment during the interview in front of his home.
“I really hope people kind of use this and shake someone’s hand," he said. "Give someone a hug. Give him a kiss. These are good people, man. These were all kids.”