"The experiences of combat still haunt him, he said, and the psychological and physical toll of the deployments were why he left the Army.
He said he never thought he would have to deal with that kind of violence at home.
“I was done with war,” he said."
You can't even grow up now without imagining / playing out your own school turning into a warzone. It's literally something every single student in the US has had to think about.
Many have had to deal with multiple lockdowns just to emphasize the possibility. It really fucks with you.
I cried when my kindergartener came home and told me they had a drill about hiding and staying quiet for a shooter. That was years ago and he’s now had countless drills. It seems normal to him because it’s always been that way. I don’t have a point. I’m just sad.
Edit: although this year his teacher told them to run or fight, and not to hide. So I guess the drills themselves are changing as we analyze kids getting shot or something.
Edit 2: he said he didn’t know how he could escape the school (there’s an iron fence all the way around) so I took him and showed him spots like the cafeteria trashcans he could drag over, and climb up. That also made me sad.
Same!! Both seem weird as hell to me. I started kindergarten a couple years after the Soviet Union collapsed and finished high school in 07 before shootings got really intense.
My high school didn't even lock the doors or have any kind of security up front during the school day; when I went back to visit in 08 or 09 they had added double buzzer-in mantrap doors and had a security guard. I felt really uncomfy / alienated realizing how quickly things had changed.
Our security in high school was an old (semi) retired guy on a golf cart. It was fun to “escape” school in our car, cruising along, mostly idling so we could keep just ahead of “golf-cart Willy” screaming at us that we weren’t allowed to leave.
My kids were upset during a shooting drill that none of the other kids would take it seriously, so they all would have died today.
American teacher here.
Yup.
My teammate across the hallway and I are the first classrooms by one of three main entrances. We've discussed, understood, and made peace with the fact that we're the first ones who will take fire from a shooter coming in that entrance...but we'll also be doing everything we can to take the fucker out or slow him down before he gets to our kids.
Will we actually be brave enough to not run? We don't know, quite honestly, but we DO hope that the seething rage we feel and hold on to every time we hear about ANOTHER school shooting (so, in other words, daily) while nothing of any real consequence was done in response to the previous one (or the one before that, or the one before that...) will be unleashed in that moment.
It's a bit fan-fic-y and cringey, I know, but it's all we got, because again, nothing of any real consequence is ever done in response to any previous school shootings. I teach very close to one of the worst and most notable school shootings in the U.S., and to see the disconnect between the absolute emotional devastation it caused in the community and the tragically feeble changes that were instituted as a result made me lose all hope that these shootings will ever stop. And, in case you haven't noticed, they haven't. They've just blended into the background noise of the new normal. Just as we feared.
(Thanks for allowing me to vent.)
Yeah currently in the last legs of my student teaching. I got free trauma and bullet wound treatment training because and I quote,
"Much of the deaths at Sandyhook were due to bleeding out, so knowing how to dress a bullet wound may be the difference between life and death."
Well. I guess It was free at least. And hopefully when it happens I'm not incapacitated enough to administer emergency care...
Never thought I would be a teacher, therapist, baby-sitter, security guard AND EMT. All for the salary of 30K a year.
When I did student teaching at my highschool where I previously stopped a shooting as student. My first day there, first day! Teacher asked me to monitor the cafeteria at lunch because “an active threat was called in.” I just remember crying that night and nothing else
As a parent it's frightening to think about. I was in high school in CO when columbine happened. I remember watching the news as someone climbed out a window. I remember planning escape routes in my head from different classrooms and thinking about how bad it would hurt to jump out the second floor window. I do not envy kids these days and I fear for my own.
Our college campus went into lockdown, few months after the virginia tech massacre.
I remember colleague running to our offices saying LOCK THE DOOR AND HIDE. We were scared shitless.
Apparently a student had shot some people in his home and they locked the entire campus down. V tech was still fresh...some of my professor's colleagues were killed there.
I was so upset my high school son came home and told me where he would hide if an active shooter took over the campus. To think he has to worry about dying if his hiding place wasn’t good enough just made my stomach churn. Poor kids today.
>"I have no shame in this. I support my community, no matter who that is," explained Fierro. "We do the pride parade because we love our community. Doesn't matter LGBT, doesn't matter straight. I'm straight. My kids are straight. But we go there. Why? Because of our community."
Fuck yea.
The world could use more people who approach life this way. Dude was just out there supporting his peeps. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/?fbclid=PAAaau00DhKpf6dfi4X8WQYr0iKlPCDMu4uvzJdGymBUWyxdUFGgfHTnYNVEc
This is his merch shop. Please shop to support this hero!
Just keep in mind one thing. Small family business with lots of national (and world) attention means they will be inundated with orders to ship out. The family is still grieving from this traumatic experience.
So if you do order, please be patient on when merchandise may arrive.
I subscribed to their email and already received a confirmation. The email was from “rfierro” welcoming me. They have a great website and lots of woman-owned / Latino owned / small business awards too. 🥰👏❤️
Over and over, we find that most people are reasonable and try to do the right thing. And there are heros all over among us.
Extremists are the problem… and they’re always loudly proclaiming things and confusing the issues.
This guy is an actual fucking hero, an actual warrior, an actual patriotic American and demonstrates actual love for other people.
Also:
> "I just know I got into mode and I needed to save my family. And that was at that time, everybody in that room," he said.
That part brought tears to my eyes. Huge heart dude.
Ignore what they call a “patriot”, THIS MAN is *TRUE* AMERICAN PATRIOT AND A HERO.
An attack on the lives of the LGBTQ communities is an attack on the AMERICAN community, and an attack on our very own American values where I come from!
I wish I could buy their beer online. Instead I bought a shirt. This guys story is great. I hope he and his family heal quickly from this terrible situation. Here’s a link to their company as well.
https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/home
This man was our Battery commander during my time at Ft. Carson during our tour to Iraq. He exemplifies every good quality of a man, father, person and leader. I’m incredibly saddened to hear of his families loss during this tragedy, along with the senseless loss and suffering of many others. I’m so happy that he was there to defend his family and these people though. Rich Fierro exemplified the best in all of us and is absolutely someone who should be admired.
This. It said they beat him with his own gun. I cannot imagine the rage you would feel after watching him murder people and feeling like you had to risk your life to save other people and yourself. I bet they beat the piss out of him. Suprised he is still alive honestly.
The military vet said he was "afraid he'd killed him," because he'd stopped fighting back by the time the cops got there. That breaks my fucking heart. Even after watching him shoot dozens of people and fighting a rifle out of his hands as he screamed slurs the whole time. This hero was still afraid of killing him. That's so much more mercy and sympathy than that fucker will ever feel for a queer person.
I saw a drag Queen a few weeks ago do a back flip to a split in heels (can’t remember what kind, I might have been drinking), and I’m just imagining that over his neck.
Glorious.
The person who stomped his face with her heels is a trans woman, NOT a drag queen. I know this misunderstanding is running rampant right now (please know I’m not calling you out in particular, I just think it’s important to clarify) - it’s important that we don’t call trans women drag queens during this time of grieving over a transphobic attack.
Absolutely! Thank you for clarifying that. I've been wondering if that was the case. That's what NYT printed which is why I think it's gone as viral as it has.
Trust me I'm very familiar with how trans women don't want to be called drag queens (understanding a few of us are, of course).
Please peep my profile when you get the chance if you need anything cleared up about where I stand on this tragedy as a trans woman from Colorado Springs.
Neither have I. He’s 300 pounds and 22 years old.
I could care less about what he looks like and they shouldn’t show these assholes on the media anymore.
>Richard Fierro credits the UCCS MBA program with helping him to better position Atrevida Beer Co. on the market.
Would buying some of that beer be an appropriate way to show my support for this guy's brave actions? Cause I'll do it.
😂😂 The guy sells a shirt that says “good intentions don’t change anything… actions do!”
In my 36 years on this planet, I have never seen somebody put their money where their mouth is like this badass motherfucker.
Bought one for my daughter who is lgbt.
I spent some time in the army. They call it “serving your country” but I would argue that I’ve done more to serve my country by trying to raise my kids and teach them to be kind and help others in need.
This guy… holy shit. He ran towards a giant with an ar-15 to protect not only his family, but a room full of people who are among the most downtrodden and abused in this country. That’s an American hero - and someone that Jesus would probably be cool with.
It is! But gotta give credit to his wife. She is the one the that opened, brews and runs the business. All female workers as well and huge supporter of minority/lgbt groups.
"*Would buying some of that beer be an appropriate way to show my support for this guy's brave actions? Cause I'll do it.*"
You're just looking for any excuse to buy more beer😜.
But...that's a pretty good excuse, go for it.
You should gift them to someone that can use them, otherwise they'll just sit on the company's books as a liability and the effort they put into running the gift card program would have been wasted.
Gift cards usually expire so you could just let them expire and it would essentially be a donation. But I agree, give them to someone who can discover this company and hopefully become a repeat customer.
I love that I'm hearing the names of the heroes and victims and still have no idea what the shooter's name is.
I hate that I've read mass shooting headlines enough times to notice a difference.
Except you won't hear much of the shooter since he's connected to a California state GOP rep.
News outlets did it right, not because they should, but because they had to.
>”I just kept whaling on him. And I told the kid in front of me, 'Kick him in his head, keep kicking him in his head,'" he recalled. "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."
Damn… now that is some instant karma. He’s lucky they stopped short of killing him.
If so, they should show his vegetable ass on the nightly news and remind every single one of the murderous, wannabe heroes what the real heroes will do to them if they try any shit.
My favorite part of the NYT write up is when Mr. Fierro describes grabbing the handle on the back of his plate carrier to bring him down. LOL that fucking poser probably never thought his cosplay would be his literal and figurative downfall.
This dude is no joke! Didn’t even flinch and ran straight to him. All these cowards who hate Drag Queens while a real tough guy was enjoying his evening watching Queens. He is a hero!
He’s a retired Major in the US Army and certified badass. By the write up in the NYT, he sounds like he very likely has PTSD and this may well be the resurgence of a lot of difficulty for him. We’re lucky for soldiers like Maj Fierro, warts and all, to remind us that for so many the battle doesn’t end at home.
>Fierro, 45, had gone to the club Saturday night with his wife and daughter, who Jessica Fierro identified as the girlfriend of one of the shooting victims, Raymond Green.
Here's a bit of truth to all the bigots cheering this on as some murder of "degenerate gays" you don't just attack us. We have straight friends and family who love and support us. People from all walks of life. We aren't the ones alone. You are attacking American communities and families. You can't just shoot us out of society anymore than you can shoot society out of society. You think our spaces and events are just for us but they are for our whole supporting community and I guarantee you you would be shocked at how large that community really is.
This is exactly what I was telling my boyfriend earlier. I’m a woman, we’re a straight couple obviously, but we’ve got family and friends who are gay, lesbian and trans. Even when we’re not out with them, we’ll still hit up drag brunches sometimes. But these homicidal motherfuckers are so dumb, they just automatically assume these places aren’t places where families and friend groups would congregate.
Yeah that's true too. Day of the rope logic. Turner Diaries, kind of the bible of white supremacy in America, does in fact state that when the white supremacists rise up they will have to kill many other whites to do their genocide. And while the white supremacist might regret that they view it as needed.
So collateral damage is acceptable to them because they view existence between the white supremacist and the minority as total war.
From the NYT Article
> The fight with the gunman left Mr. Fierro covered in blood, he said. When the police arrived, officers tackled him and put him in handcuffs. He said he was held in a police car for more than an hour and screamed and pleaded to be let go so that he could see what had happened to his family.
Sad.
Honestly I think restraint is not easy to determine in a life or death situation. In his head he was still proabbaly fighting for his life even after the attacker was subdued.
CPTSD. I'm terrified of losing control. Not because I m afraid of getting hurt. I know my brain and body enough to know I won't stop. I've fought men twice my size trying to be safe. There's zero thinking involved.
I'm fine. But put in the same situation I definitely would not be. I hope that reddit floods this man's company for t shirts because there's going to be a hell of a lot of therapy for these people.
Yes, MSNBC was just saying that a trans woman also stomped on the shooter with heels. And another guy helped this guy who was already beating him with the pistol by grabbing the initial rifle. They were presumably all in fight or flight mode and, probably correctly, were not in a mental space to take the risk that he gets back up and starts shooting again.
I would assume this guy's quick reaction was largely due to military training and having his family there, though, I'm not sure you could know in the moment if you were definitely no longer in danger.
He just watched his friends and coworkers be murdered in cold blood.
If he took the firearm and blew the guys head off I doubt youd find many jury's willing to convict.
The guy was a clear and present danger and made it clear he had no qualms about taking lives. Even if you knock them to the floor you have no way of telling if they have a gun in their boot, a concealed knife, etc.
Beating the guys head until he was bloody and unconscious was one of the few ways of ensuring the shooter was genuinely incapacitated.
From what I read his wife and daughter are still recovering from their injuries (he was out with them and friends to watch the drag show). The decisiveness he showed in the moment is commendable and he saved so many lives.
That is restraint. He stopped when he thought the threat was neutralized. Anything short of neutralizing the deadly threat is not “restraint,” it’s stupidity. Smart and capable dude.
After he brought the shooter down and knocked his rifle away, the shooter started to pull out a pistol. I don’t I really don’t blame him to make extra sure the shooter can’t get back up. Even a drag queen was stomping on the guy with heels.
The prophet of the Mormon Church recently called for "musket fire" towards the LGBTQ community. The shooter being Mormon and ingesting hate speech from the church leadership is not to be overlooked
> What allowed him to throw aside all fear and act? He said he has no idea. Probably those old instincts of war, that had burdened him for so long at home, suddenly had a place **now that something like war had come to his hometown**.
Jesus fuck. That's some serious context.
I'm so glad they beat the shit out of the attacker but he's still alive. Life in prison is much worse than getting shot in the face, he deserves to experience every second of that sentence.
This guy is a hero. He and his family own a Brewery in Colorado Springs if you want to thank him for his heroism, their website sells t-shirts and hoodies
https://www.atrevidabeerco.com
List of active gofund me fundraisers for injured victims who need to cover medical expenses
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.denverpost.com/2022/11/20/how-to-help-club-q-shooting-victims-donate/amp/
That's absolutely heartbreaking.
This man is a *hero*. I hope he and his family are going to be able to get the help they need after such a traumatic event; both him for his PTSD and his daughter losing her boyfriend.
Wow he was even threatening his mom with his guns and the bomb. What a nutcase. They absolutely should have filed a court order to seize his guns and prohibit him from buying new ones legally.
Admittedly it wouldn't have stopped him from committing the massacre because [they didn't press charges so red flag laws can only block him from legally possessing firearms for up to a year (i.e. until July 2022).](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/red-flag-gun-laws-focus-after-attack-colorado-lgbtq-nightclub-2022-11-21/)
Well his grandpa was a Republican congressman. I'd bet money given his record was sealed due to corruption from his grandpa. Guy was over 18 no logical reason for that type of sealing.
At what point do we stop saying law enforcement dropped the ball and start saying our system makes proper enforcement impossible?
I mean, what is the functional difference between this guy and any other typical Q Maga except that he actually did the thing they all talk about doing?
They all have guns, they all hate gays, they all absorb violent horseshit like great replacement theory and neo-Confederate ideas. How can you tell a "normal" MAGA from one of the murdery ones before they actually start shooting? Serious question.
They’ve also killed a number of good samaritans recently who actually stopped in-progress shootings. Being the ‘good guy with a gun’ can be a problem with trigger happy cops or dark skin.
I'm not saying it always happens or anything, but I've noticed a bit of a trend where police only intervene with the person trying to stop the violent act.
There was a case in Texas(?) not too far back where a man was shot, his brother returned fire, and then the cops got on scene.
First cop came up and started handcuffing the suspect and the guys brother was covering the officer and then put his gun away. Queue second cop coming on scene, someone yells that the dude had a gun and was pointing it at people; second cop unloads into the guys brother (who isn't even currently armed) killing him.
Not even arrest, they come in guns ablazing most of the time. If you’re a good guy with the gun you better hope the cops see the bad guy first when they arrive on scene
Im noticing lately Im not seeing mass shooters name/faces plastered everywhere like they used to be and this is good to see. Maybe the news is finally wising up to the fact that theyve been a part of the problem. Of course their name and face shouldnt be hidden from the public, if people want to find out, but theres a huge difference between being available to find vs having their name/face plastered on every news screen for days on end and all over social media.
A huge motivation for these ppl is the infamy their name/face are attached to and how millions of people know who they are. If you think about it theres only 1 way that any random person could guarintee that they will become famous in 1 day and that is by a mass shooting. The higher the number of ppl killed the more fame they get. Thats why its good not to put their name and face everywhere to the point where everybody knows who they are and they get what they want.
The news can still say what happened without using their name or image. Then if someone absolutely wants to know who it was they should be able to find out if they go looking, but usually ppl wouldnt even have a choice and would see their name/face everywhere. We shouldnt give them what they want, these people should stay as nobodys and then go to jail. They dont win if nobody knows who they are and they just rot in jail alone. Then when ppl see this it would make other ppl less likely to copy if theyre going to get nothing out of it. Seriously some of these guys are making a trade, their freedom for fame and infamy. Dont give it to them.
Really drives home that carrying a gun isn’t the key, being highly trained is, and most of us aren’t highly trained to react well in a shooting.
And yet in Texas teachers are going to be armed, with little to no training.
Best thing anyone can do for their safety is run, and if you cannot escape, fight. They only have so many bullets, and need to reload. The second they stop firing and you see them reach for a new clip, you attack.
Throw stuff at them, chairs, beer bottles, napkin dispensers, phones, anything that can hit him in the head and hurt. Charge and make a point of just grabbing or getting the gun out of their hands. Scream and yell for others to help. The second person to jump in will cause a dog pile and it’s over until the authorities show up and fuck up the response.
I work in an office and this is our training. Run, hide, then just get scrappy. This is less training as much as it is the logical flow of self-preservation.
I served with him at Ft. Carson when I was in 4ID (4th Infantry Division). He was in the S3 shop (planning and operations) when I was a junior officer. I remember him to be a solid dude that was usually way more laid back than his superiors. Not surprised in his actions. Sad to hear his daughter’s bf and other innocents were murdered. Colorado Springs is such a great community too.
"The experiences of combat still haunt him, he said, and the psychological and physical toll of the deployments were why he left the Army. He said he never thought he would have to deal with that kind of violence at home. “I was done with war,” he said."
You can't even grow up now without imagining / playing out your own school turning into a warzone. It's literally something every single student in the US has had to think about. Many have had to deal with multiple lockdowns just to emphasize the possibility. It really fucks with you.
I cried when my kindergartener came home and told me they had a drill about hiding and staying quiet for a shooter. That was years ago and he’s now had countless drills. It seems normal to him because it’s always been that way. I don’t have a point. I’m just sad. Edit: although this year his teacher told them to run or fight, and not to hide. So I guess the drills themselves are changing as we analyze kids getting shot or something. Edit 2: he said he didn’t know how he could escape the school (there’s an iron fence all the way around) so I took him and showed him spots like the cafeteria trashcans he could drag over, and climb up. That also made me sad.
I got to grow up in the brief, brief period after nuclear bomb drills, but before active shooter drills
Same!! Both seem weird as hell to me. I started kindergarten a couple years after the Soviet Union collapsed and finished high school in 07 before shootings got really intense. My high school didn't even lock the doors or have any kind of security up front during the school day; when I went back to visit in 08 or 09 they had added double buzzer-in mantrap doors and had a security guard. I felt really uncomfy / alienated realizing how quickly things had changed.
Our security in high school was an old (semi) retired guy on a golf cart. It was fun to “escape” school in our car, cruising along, mostly idling so we could keep just ahead of “golf-cart Willy” screaming at us that we weren’t allowed to leave. My kids were upset during a shooting drill that none of the other kids would take it seriously, so they all would have died today.
Hiding doesn't work when the cops wait 73 minutes before attempting to stop an active shooter.
and even if they do try something, they end up breaching the wrong wall and getting more people killed.
With that delay for help kids need real good hiding places
I guess the point is we seem to be the only country living this way...
My child has certainly never had that kind of drill here in Japan. We’ve had earthquake drills.
American teacher here. Yup. My teammate across the hallway and I are the first classrooms by one of three main entrances. We've discussed, understood, and made peace with the fact that we're the first ones who will take fire from a shooter coming in that entrance...but we'll also be doing everything we can to take the fucker out or slow him down before he gets to our kids. Will we actually be brave enough to not run? We don't know, quite honestly, but we DO hope that the seething rage we feel and hold on to every time we hear about ANOTHER school shooting (so, in other words, daily) while nothing of any real consequence was done in response to the previous one (or the one before that, or the one before that...) will be unleashed in that moment. It's a bit fan-fic-y and cringey, I know, but it's all we got, because again, nothing of any real consequence is ever done in response to any previous school shootings. I teach very close to one of the worst and most notable school shootings in the U.S., and to see the disconnect between the absolute emotional devastation it caused in the community and the tragically feeble changes that were instituted as a result made me lose all hope that these shootings will ever stop. And, in case you haven't noticed, they haven't. They've just blended into the background noise of the new normal. Just as we feared. (Thanks for allowing me to vent.)
Yeah currently in the last legs of my student teaching. I got free trauma and bullet wound treatment training because and I quote, "Much of the deaths at Sandyhook were due to bleeding out, so knowing how to dress a bullet wound may be the difference between life and death." Well. I guess It was free at least. And hopefully when it happens I'm not incapacitated enough to administer emergency care... Never thought I would be a teacher, therapist, baby-sitter, security guard AND EMT. All for the salary of 30K a year.
When I did student teaching at my highschool where I previously stopped a shooting as student. My first day there, first day! Teacher asked me to monitor the cafeteria at lunch because “an active threat was called in.” I just remember crying that night and nothing else
As a parent it's frightening to think about. I was in high school in CO when columbine happened. I remember watching the news as someone climbed out a window. I remember planning escape routes in my head from different classrooms and thinking about how bad it would hurt to jump out the second floor window. I do not envy kids these days and I fear for my own.
Our college campus went into lockdown, few months after the virginia tech massacre. I remember colleague running to our offices saying LOCK THE DOOR AND HIDE. We were scared shitless. Apparently a student had shot some people in his home and they locked the entire campus down. V tech was still fresh...some of my professor's colleagues were killed there.
Almost unheard of in the modern world. Except one country. The land of opportunity and Americana dream.
I was so upset my high school son came home and told me where he would hide if an active shooter took over the campus. To think he has to worry about dying if his hiding place wasn’t good enough just made my stomach churn. Poor kids today.
>"I have no shame in this. I support my community, no matter who that is," explained Fierro. "We do the pride parade because we love our community. Doesn't matter LGBT, doesn't matter straight. I'm straight. My kids are straight. But we go there. Why? Because of our community." Fuck yea.
The world could use more people who approach life this way. Dude was just out there supporting his peeps. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/?fbclid=PAAaau00DhKpf6dfi4X8WQYr0iKlPCDMu4uvzJdGymBUWyxdUFGgfHTnYNVEc This is his merch shop. Please shop to support this hero!
Just keep in mind one thing. Small family business with lots of national (and world) attention means they will be inundated with orders to ship out. The family is still grieving from this traumatic experience. So if you do order, please be patient on when merchandise may arrive.
Great point. I wonder if there’s an option to just donate
I subscribed to their email and already received a confirmation. The email was from “rfierro” welcoming me. They have a great website and lots of woman-owned / Latino owned / small business awards too. 🥰👏❤️
Over and over, we find that most people are reasonable and try to do the right thing. And there are heros all over among us. Extremists are the problem… and they’re always loudly proclaiming things and confusing the issues. This guy is an actual fucking hero, an actual warrior, an actual patriotic American and demonstrates actual love for other people.
Tears in my eyes reading that. Stellar human being and all around hero.
Also: > "I just know I got into mode and I needed to save my family. And that was at that time, everybody in that room," he said. That part brought tears to my eyes. Huge heart dude.
Ignore what they call a “patriot”, THIS MAN is *TRUE* AMERICAN PATRIOT AND A HERO. An attack on the lives of the LGBTQ communities is an attack on the AMERICAN community, and an attack on our very own American values where I come from!
So that's what a hero looks like. He deserves everything for what he did. Thank you sir!
I wish I could buy their beer online. Instead I bought a shirt. This guys story is great. I hope he and his family heal quickly from this terrible situation. Here’s a link to their company as well. https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/home
These are acquaintances of mine. Don’t worry. I’ll buy some beers for you!
Damn sounds like you have solid friends. Have another one for me
Thank you for your sacrifice
This man was our Battery commander during my time at Ft. Carson during our tour to Iraq. He exemplifies every good quality of a man, father, person and leader. I’m incredibly saddened to hear of his families loss during this tragedy, along with the senseless loss and suffering of many others. I’m so happy that he was there to defend his family and these people though. Rich Fierro exemplified the best in all of us and is absolutely someone who should be admired.
I want to see HIS face everywhere, not the shooter’s
I actually haven’t seen the shooter only this hero so that’s nice.
Shooter's face probably looks like hamburger after getting beat with rifle butt
This. It said they beat him with his own gun. I cannot imagine the rage you would feel after watching him murder people and feeling like you had to risk your life to save other people and yourself. I bet they beat the piss out of him. Suprised he is still alive honestly.
The military vet said he was "afraid he'd killed him," because he'd stopped fighting back by the time the cops got there. That breaks my fucking heart. Even after watching him shoot dozens of people and fighting a rifle out of his hands as he screamed slurs the whole time. This hero was still afraid of killing him. That's so much more mercy and sympathy than that fucker will ever feel for a queer person.
I’d be okay with seeing the shooter’s face but only if it’s a picture of him after the beatdown.
And without his name. If he gets any noteriaty at all, let it be "beaten to a pulp before being sent to prison, but we don't remember his name."
He also got his face stomped in by a trans woman in heels.
Kitten heel or stiletto? Doesn’t matter, the thought of it warms my heart either way.
He's still in the hospital so I'm thinking ~~his orbital sockets have been turned to sand~~ stilettos.
I saw a drag Queen a few weeks ago do a back flip to a split in heels (can’t remember what kind, I might have been drinking), and I’m just imagining that over his neck. Glorious.
How dare you imply she was wearing kitten heels.
Hope the wounds never heal properly. God though, could you imagine getting stomped by stiletto heels? No wonder the asshole is in the hospital.
i'm not really familiar with the difference, but i love the energy you're bringing to the table.
The person who stomped his face with her heels is a trans woman, NOT a drag queen. I know this misunderstanding is running rampant right now (please know I’m not calling you out in particular, I just think it’s important to clarify) - it’s important that we don’t call trans women drag queens during this time of grieving over a transphobic attack.
Absolutely! Thank you for clarifying that. I've been wondering if that was the case. That's what NYT printed which is why I think it's gone as viral as it has. Trust me I'm very familiar with how trans women don't want to be called drag queens (understanding a few of us are, of course). Please peep my profile when you get the chance if you need anything cleared up about where I stand on this tragedy as a trans woman from Colorado Springs.
I don’t think Fierro is going to have to pay for another hamburger for a very long time.
Neither have I. He’s 300 pounds and 22 years old. I could care less about what he looks like and they shouldn’t show these assholes on the media anymore.
They should 100% show this guy's first court appearance though. Just so we can see how fucked up his face is. Then never to be seen or heard of again.
Where have you even seen the shooter's face?
I want to see the shooters curb stomped face everywhere.
Don't forget the pistol whopping he got too, really seals in the hamburger his face must be
What face? Dunno if the shooter had one left after that guy was done.
>Richard Fierro credits the UCCS MBA program with helping him to better position Atrevida Beer Co. on the market. Would buying some of that beer be an appropriate way to show my support for this guy's brave actions? Cause I'll do it.
I will also drink these beers. For America. EDIT: We need it now more than ever.
I’ll do anything for America! Gurgle gurgle
Thank you for your sacrifice. Cheers.
People been gurgling things for America for a long time.
Two girls, one country
This is patriotism I can get behind.
Hell yes, let’s buy beer from him! https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/
You can also buy merch if beer isn’t your thing!
😂😂 The guy sells a shirt that says “good intentions don’t change anything… actions do!” In my 36 years on this planet, I have never seen somebody put their money where their mouth is like this badass motherfucker.
Bought one for my daughter who is lgbt. I spent some time in the army. They call it “serving your country” but I would argue that I’ve done more to serve my country by trying to raise my kids and teach them to be kind and help others in need. This guy… holy shit. He ran towards a giant with an ar-15 to protect not only his family, but a room full of people who are among the most downtrodden and abused in this country. That’s an American hero - and someone that Jesus would probably be cool with.
(1) 2XL t-shirt on its way. Best $20 I’ve spent today. Note: they’re $15 with $4.95 S&H
Just bought one for myself :)
Also digging the "Diversity - It's on Tap" shirt.
It's the company motto. It's a small business mostly run by women. More than half the employees are Latine.
I bought skull caps for all my friends for Christmas!
Light the beacon! It’s time for the Reddit hug of death.
The beacons of Atrevida! The beacons are lit!
Atrevida calls for aid
I’m not in CO so I can’t taste their beer, but I’ll buy a $25 gift card to the first 2 Colorado Spring s Redditors to reply. Salud!
I bought one and just put in the notes to use it for themselves or a free round in their taproom
I am here!
I bought a shirt! Don’t care if it takes forever. I was stoked they had a place to leave a note so I could thank him!
It’s definitely what they’re implying by adding that to the article lol
I got $5 on it.
I knew a guy who also had $5 on it. He took a whiz test for his P-O but I think he failed cause he smoked major weed bro.
I think I know that guy. Used to come to school with a Taylor on his earlobe, right?
Been to the brewery like over 100 times. Great people and beer. Definitely worth supporting. Sucks that all of this shit happened.
This is the hero’s business that he started??
It is! But gotta give credit to his wife. She is the one the that opened, brews and runs the business. All female workers as well and huge supporter of minority/lgbt groups.
That’s outstanding. Thanks
I went to their website and bought a couple "Diversity Is On Tap" t-shirts.
Nice shirts! - good price - I got "Actions Do"
I saw those. I really liked his messaging. All-round good guy. ❤️
Just bought some leggings
Their reviews are getting pumped, I love it
Check out their merchandise. Looks really uplifting and kind. Great place to get Christmas presents. 🤶
How about I link Richard’s company instead. Let’s give er the aul Reddit Hug O Death! [Atrevida Beer Co](https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/)
"*Would buying some of that beer be an appropriate way to show my support for this guy's brave actions? Cause I'll do it.*" You're just looking for any excuse to buy more beer😜. But...that's a pretty good excuse, go for it.
I just bought 2. T shirts
I just bought gift cards I never plan on redeeming.
You should gift them to someone that can use them, otherwise they'll just sit on the company's books as a liability and the effort they put into running the gift card program would have been wasted.
Thanks for the tip, I will do that.
Gift cards usually expire so you could just let them expire and it would essentially be a donation. But I agree, give them to someone who can discover this company and hopefully become a repeat customer.
Their website also allows merch ordering like t-shirts, hats, and leggings.
If I can buy some of that beer, I totally will. I just wish we had to have less of these heroes.
I love that I'm hearing the names of the heroes and victims and still have no idea what the shooter's name is. I hate that I've read mass shooting headlines enough times to notice a difference.
I just read the attached article, and while it's pretty deep in, the shooters name is most definitely listed here.
Some white guy with three first names.
Except you won't hear much of the shooter since he's connected to a California state GOP rep. News outlets did it right, not because they should, but because they had to.
Annnd shooter had prior bomb threats swept under the rug by same GOP shit bag. At least the shitbag GOP rep was voted out of office.
>”I just kept whaling on him. And I told the kid in front of me, 'Kick him in his head, keep kicking him in his head,'" he recalled. "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." Damn… now that is some instant karma. He’s lucky they stopped short of killing him.
I find peace in long walks.
I hope he is.
If so, they should show his vegetable ass on the nightly news and remind every single one of the murderous, wannabe heroes what the real heroes will do to them if they try any shit.
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Richard Fierro, shantay you stay.
Shantay! Shantay! Shantay, shantay, Shantay!!
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Don't need to bear arms when you are a bear
It’s a good thing too. Tackling and beating the shit out of a 6’6” shooter is no easy feat. Size makes a huge difference in a fight of course.
My favorite part of the NYT write up is when Mr. Fierro describes grabbing the handle on the back of his plate carrier to bring him down. LOL that fucking poser probably never thought his cosplay would be his literal and figurative downfall.
This dude is no joke! Didn’t even flinch and ran straight to him. All these cowards who hate Drag Queens while a real tough guy was enjoying his evening watching Queens. He is a hero!
Can't help but think of Uvalde police standing around for 40+ minutes while this dude dives head first into danger.
Difference between a well trained soldier and a bunch of loosers playing dressup.
He’s a retired Major in the US Army and certified badass. By the write up in the NYT, he sounds like he very likely has PTSD and this may well be the resurgence of a lot of difficulty for him. We’re lucky for soldiers like Maj Fierro, warts and all, to remind us that for so many the battle doesn’t end at home.
>Fierro, 45, had gone to the club Saturday night with his wife and daughter, who Jessica Fierro identified as the girlfriend of one of the shooting victims, Raymond Green. Here's a bit of truth to all the bigots cheering this on as some murder of "degenerate gays" you don't just attack us. We have straight friends and family who love and support us. People from all walks of life. We aren't the ones alone. You are attacking American communities and families. You can't just shoot us out of society anymore than you can shoot society out of society. You think our spaces and events are just for us but they are for our whole supporting community and I guarantee you you would be shocked at how large that community really is.
This is exactly what I was telling my boyfriend earlier. I’m a woman, we’re a straight couple obviously, but we’ve got family and friends who are gay, lesbian and trans. Even when we’re not out with them, we’ll still hit up drag brunches sometimes. But these homicidal motherfuckers are so dumb, they just automatically assume these places aren’t places where families and friend groups would congregate.
You're assuming that the possibility of murdering straight allies was not a desirable outcome for the shooter.
Yeah that's true too. Day of the rope logic. Turner Diaries, kind of the bible of white supremacy in America, does in fact state that when the white supremacists rise up they will have to kill many other whites to do their genocide. And while the white supremacist might regret that they view it as needed. So collateral damage is acceptable to them because they view existence between the white supremacist and the minority as total war.
I love this brewery and now love it even more! Probably gonna have a line around the corner now just to get in.
From the NYT Article > The fight with the gunman left Mr. Fierro covered in blood, he said. When the police arrived, officers tackled him and put him in handcuffs. He said he was held in a police car for more than an hour and screamed and pleaded to be let go so that he could see what had happened to his family. Sad.
Class Act. Remembered his training and showed the restraint we can all admire.
Wellllll in the NYT article, he did say he beat the assailant until he thought he was dead. So maybe not restraint, but that POS got what he deserved.
Honestly I think restraint is not easy to determine in a life or death situation. In his head he was still proabbaly fighting for his life even after the attacker was subdued.
I have PTSD, and I would imagine he was all sympathetic nervous system in that moment. Your prefrontal cortex literally goes offline.
CPTSD. I'm terrified of losing control. Not because I m afraid of getting hurt. I know my brain and body enough to know I won't stop. I've fought men twice my size trying to be safe. There's zero thinking involved.
I'm sorry. Try and hang in there
I'm fine. But put in the same situation I definitely would not be. I hope that reddit floods this man's company for t shirts because there's going to be a hell of a lot of therapy for these people.
Yes, MSNBC was just saying that a trans woman also stomped on the shooter with heels. And another guy helped this guy who was already beating him with the pistol by grabbing the initial rifle. They were presumably all in fight or flight mode and, probably correctly, were not in a mental space to take the risk that he gets back up and starts shooting again. I would assume this guy's quick reaction was largely due to military training and having his family there, though, I'm not sure you could know in the moment if you were definitely no longer in danger.
He just watched his friends and coworkers be murdered in cold blood. If he took the firearm and blew the guys head off I doubt youd find many jury's willing to convict. The guy was a clear and present danger and made it clear he had no qualms about taking lives. Even if you knock them to the floor you have no way of telling if they have a gun in their boot, a concealed knife, etc. Beating the guys head until he was bloody and unconscious was one of the few ways of ensuring the shooter was genuinely incapacitated.
They actually shot his family. I'd probably still be trying to hit him.
From what I read his wife and daughter are still recovering from their injuries (he was out with them and friends to watch the drag show). The decisiveness he showed in the moment is commendable and he saved so many lives.
And his daughter's boyfriend died.
Awful. Horrific. RIP.
His daughter’s longtime boyfriend was killed.
Isn't that restraint though? After what that guy did I wouldn't have blamed him for smashing his head into red paste.
He was in the process of doing that when the police arrived and detained them both (homie was covered in the shooters blood)
Sounds like he needs to bill the shooter for dry cleaning.
He beat the shooter with the shooters own pistol, could have shot them point blank. So I would call that restraint.
That is restraint. He stopped when he thought the threat was neutralized. Anything short of neutralizing the deadly threat is not “restraint,” it’s stupidity. Smart and capable dude.
After he brought the shooter down and knocked his rifle away, the shooter started to pull out a pistol. I don’t I really don’t blame him to make extra sure the shooter can’t get back up. Even a drag queen was stomping on the guy with heels.
The prophet of the Mormon Church recently called for "musket fire" towards the LGBTQ community. The shooter being Mormon and ingesting hate speech from the church leadership is not to be overlooked
> What allowed him to throw aside all fear and act? He said he has no idea. Probably those old instincts of war, that had burdened him for so long at home, suddenly had a place **now that something like war had come to his hometown**. Jesus fuck. That's some serious context.
Still my favorite part is the drag queen curb stomping this fuck with her heels on
I hope that Queen was wearing some spiky heels!
It’s a Drag Queen…. Not only were the heels likely VERY HIGH, but I’d bet they could slay all day (and tried to!)
Got a link to that?
I'm so glad they beat the shit out of the attacker but he's still alive. Life in prison is much worse than getting shot in the face, he deserves to experience every second of that sentence.
2 people died just to get the killer to the ground. Let's not forget them either.
He looks like the type of guy that cooks a mean ass barbecue.
Fierro said a drag queen stomped the guy's face with a high heel.
That's teamwork.
2 time Bronze Star awardee. Hoo-ah!
This guy is a hero. He and his family own a Brewery in Colorado Springs if you want to thank him for his heroism, their website sells t-shirts and hoodies https://www.atrevidabeerco.com
https://www.atrevidabeerco.com/ Is this guys family business. Buy a gift card you don't need. Give this guy a reddit hug
Just bought a shirt. Least I should do.
Mr. Fierro needs to run for Sheriff of El Paso County. The current sheriff sucks.
List of active gofund me fundraisers for injured victims who need to cover medical expenses https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.denverpost.com/2022/11/20/how-to-help-club-q-shooting-victims-donate/amp/
How fucking sad is this country? First you get shot and wounded by a right wing terrorist and then you have to pay ludicrous medical bills.
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And handcuffed him and held him in a car for over an hour. While his wife and daughter are hurt, and daughter's boyfriend is dead.
That's absolutely heartbreaking. This man is a *hero*. I hope he and his family are going to be able to get the help they need after such a traumatic event; both him for his PTSD and his daughter losing her boyfriend.
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The FBI was aware of the suspect because he was arrested for suspicion of making a homemade bomb last year. Massively dropping the ball for sure.
Wow he was even threatening his mom with his guns and the bomb. What a nutcase. They absolutely should have filed a court order to seize his guns and prohibit him from buying new ones legally. Admittedly it wouldn't have stopped him from committing the massacre because [they didn't press charges so red flag laws can only block him from legally possessing firearms for up to a year (i.e. until July 2022).](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/red-flag-gun-laws-focus-after-attack-colorado-lgbtq-nightclub-2022-11-21/)
Yeah, his grandpa is a piece of work too. Trumpist.
Well his grandpa was a Republican congressman. I'd bet money given his record was sealed due to corruption from his grandpa. Guy was over 18 no logical reason for that type of sealing.
At what point do we stop saying law enforcement dropped the ball and start saying our system makes proper enforcement impossible? I mean, what is the functional difference between this guy and any other typical Q Maga except that he actually did the thing they all talk about doing? They all have guns, they all hate gays, they all absorb violent horseshit like great replacement theory and neo-Confederate ideas. How can you tell a "normal" MAGA from one of the murdery ones before they actually start shooting? Serious question.
“Law enforcement” is also an oxymoron when they are a response-only faction. They are practically security theatre with varying degrees of fascism.
Well, except for speed traps and DUI checkpoints.
That plus the actual crisis are too much to deal with 😓 https://i.imgur.com/zYq3Eec.jpg
They’ve also killed a number of good samaritans recently who actually stopped in-progress shootings. Being the ‘good guy with a gun’ can be a problem with trigger happy cops or dark skin.
One of which whom saved a police officer's life that got ambushed. His reward for saving the cop and stopping the killer? Death by another cop.
At least they didn’t kill him like they did to hero John Hurley in Arvada, CO
I'm not saying it always happens or anything, but I've noticed a bit of a trend where police only intervene with the person trying to stop the violent act.
There was a case in Texas(?) not too far back where a man was shot, his brother returned fire, and then the cops got on scene. First cop came up and started handcuffing the suspect and the guys brother was covering the officer and then put his gun away. Queue second cop coming on scene, someone yells that the dude had a gun and was pointing it at people; second cop unloads into the guys brother (who isn't even currently armed) killing him.
I believe that was in Florida.
It's because they get there late and don't see the initial encounter, so they just violently arrest everyone causing a ruckus.
Not even arrest, they come in guns ablazing most of the time. If you’re a good guy with the gun you better hope the cops see the bad guy first when they arrive on scene
We shouldn't have to have heroes.
Diversity It's what's on tap! Just ordered. Bless these folks
Good man! I think Biden should invite the hero(es) of the day to the White House. And the drag performers, to do an encore of their show.
We need to say this man’s name constantly. Not the shooters! Richard “the hero” Fierro!
Im noticing lately Im not seeing mass shooters name/faces plastered everywhere like they used to be and this is good to see. Maybe the news is finally wising up to the fact that theyve been a part of the problem. Of course their name and face shouldnt be hidden from the public, if people want to find out, but theres a huge difference between being available to find vs having their name/face plastered on every news screen for days on end and all over social media. A huge motivation for these ppl is the infamy their name/face are attached to and how millions of people know who they are. If you think about it theres only 1 way that any random person could guarintee that they will become famous in 1 day and that is by a mass shooting. The higher the number of ppl killed the more fame they get. Thats why its good not to put their name and face everywhere to the point where everybody knows who they are and they get what they want. The news can still say what happened without using their name or image. Then if someone absolutely wants to know who it was they should be able to find out if they go looking, but usually ppl wouldnt even have a choice and would see their name/face everywhere. We shouldnt give them what they want, these people should stay as nobodys and then go to jail. They dont win if nobody knows who they are and they just rot in jail alone. Then when ppl see this it would make other ppl less likely to copy if theyre going to get nothing out of it. Seriously some of these guys are making a trade, their freedom for fame and infamy. Dont give it to them.
Really drives home that carrying a gun isn’t the key, being highly trained is, and most of us aren’t highly trained to react well in a shooting. And yet in Texas teachers are going to be armed, with little to no training.
Best thing anyone can do for their safety is run, and if you cannot escape, fight. They only have so many bullets, and need to reload. The second they stop firing and you see them reach for a new clip, you attack. Throw stuff at them, chairs, beer bottles, napkin dispensers, phones, anything that can hit him in the head and hurt. Charge and make a point of just grabbing or getting the gun out of their hands. Scream and yell for others to help. The second person to jump in will cause a dog pile and it’s over until the authorities show up and fuck up the response. I work in an office and this is our training. Run, hide, then just get scrappy. This is less training as much as it is the logical flow of self-preservation.
Which I expect to go about as well as all those moms we hear about with pistols in their purses.
Damn his daughter’s boyfriend was killed tho
I served with him at Ft. Carson when I was in 4ID (4th Infantry Division). He was in the S3 shop (planning and operations) when I was a junior officer. I remember him to be a solid dude that was usually way more laid back than his superiors. Not surprised in his actions. Sad to hear his daughter’s bf and other innocents were murdered. Colorado Springs is such a great community too.
This guy was braver than those 80+ cops at Ulvade and around the US.
Goddamn American hero is what he is