In the United States, three days after the massacre in an LGBT + club in Colorado Springs in the west of the country, the investigation continues. The victims are now identified as well as those who intervened to prevent an even greater massacre.
With our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin
The three men and two women who died on the evening of November 19 were identified by investigators. And there could have been many more of them, as the shooter was overpowered by multiple patrons.
One in particular kept the drama from being deadlier. He is a former soldier who has been deployed four times to Iraq or Afghanistan. Richard Fierro was at the club to watch his daughter’s best friend’s drag show that night when he heard and saw the gunshots.
“I just went into combat mode”
Nearby New York Times, the 45-year-old former soldier said he grabbed the shooter from behind as he headed for the terrace, where customers had taken refuge. Despite the build of the killer, he managed to put him down and deprive him of his assault rifle. And once the shooter was on the ground, Richard Fierro jumped on him: “ I took his gun in his hand and started hitting him in the head, over and over “. ” I don’t know exactly what I did, I just went into combat mode. I just knew I had to kill this guy before he killed us “, he confides.
The ex-soldier then asked for help from other customers and one of the participants in the show, Thomas James, jumped with his high heels on the shooter who is still in hospital.
He will be presented to a judge in the coming days. The charges are not yet official so as not to weaken the procedure, but there will certainly be murder. Investigators are also working to establish whether these murders may be linked to hate motivation.
At a press conference on Monday evening, the authorities confirmed the role played by these two ” hero “. ” I have never met someone who has shown so much heroism and who remains so humble Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said of Mr. Fierro.