‘I Have To Kill This Guy Before He Kills Us’: Army Vet Says ‘Combat Mode’ Kicked In During Nightclub Shooting

 U.S. Army veteran Richard Fierro told reporters that “combat mode” kicked in when a gunman opened fire Saturday at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, while he was there with his wife and daughter to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

According to a report from The New York Times, Fierro and his friends — along with everyone else in the club — ran for cover and dropped to the ground immediately when the shooting started. But as the reality of the situation dawned on Fierro, he sprang into action.

“I don’t know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode. I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us,” Fierro explained, saying that he waited until the shooter turned toward the patio before he charged the man. He reportedly used the straps of the shooter’s body armor to get a grip on him and pull him to the ground.

Once he had the shooter down, Fierro said that he was able to relieve him of his pistol, hitting him with it and asking other patrons to assist in detaining him until law enforcement arrived.

Atrevida Beer Company, which Fierro owns with Jess Fierro, posted an account of the evening as well:

“I have struggled with how to address the horrific series of events that has occurred. My family, friends and I decided to have a fun night out. We went to @clubqcoloradosprings to celebrate another dear friends birthday. Unfortunately, we were all there when the shooter entered. It was absolute havoc. It was terrifying,” Jess posted.

“Kassy broke her knee as she was running for cover. Our best friends were both shot multiple times. I bruised the right side of my body and Rich injured both his hands, knees and ankle as he apprehended the shooter. He was covered in blood,” she continued.

“Everyone is recovering, thankfully. No one. NO ONE should ever have to witness bloodshed like this,” she added, noting that the family was now grieving the loss of her daughter’s high school sweetheart.

“With an incredibly heavy and broken heart we lost Raymond, who had been a part of our lives since our daughter was in high school. Raymond was Kassy’s boyfriend. We are going to miss him and his bright smile so much,” she concluded. “We are going through a lot of emotions as a family and as a brewery. The loss of lives and the injured are in our hearts. We are devastated and torn. We love our #lgbtq community and stand with them. This cowardly and despicable act of hate has no room in our lives or business. F*** HATE. It has left us and our community scarred but not broken. Much love to everyone.”