‘Wanted To Save The Family I Found’: Navy Sailor Who Stopped Club Q Shooter Speak Out For First Time
Image: Thomas James, was hailed as one of the two "heroes" who stopped the Club Q shooter. Image: US Navy.
A Navy sailor hailed as one of the two “heroes”, who stopped and subdued the shooter at Club Q, an LGBTQI nightclub in Colorado Springs, US, has finally broken his silence.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses the mass shooting at a gay nightclub, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Thomas James, a petty officer second class in the US Navy, is recovering from injuries at Centura Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs.
In a statement, the Navy confirmed Thomas James was among those injured in the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting on November 19, which killed five persons and injured 19 others.
“James is currently in stable condition and we remain hopeful he will make a full recovery,” the Navy had said in a statement last week.
‘I Would Shield Everyone’
“I simply wanted to save the family I found,” James said in his first public comments after the shooting at Club Q.
“If I had my way, I would shield everyone I could from the nonsensical acts of hate in the world, but I am only one person,” said James in a statement issued through the hospital spokesperson.
“Thankfully, we are family, and family looks after one another,” James said. “We came a long way from Stonewall. Bullies aren’t invincible. I want to support everyone who has known the pain and loss that have been all too common these past few years. My thoughts are with those we lost on November 19, and those who are still recovering from their injuries.”
James had a message for young people. “To the youth, I say be brave. Your family is out there. You are loved and valued. So when you come out of the closet, come out swinging.”
‘Heroes’ Stopped Club Q Shooter
The shooter 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich had walked into Club Q on a Saturday night in tactical gear and started shooting at patrons and staff. Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez had hailed the “heroic actions” of US Army veteran Richard Fierro and Navy sailor Thomas James, who confronted and subdued the shooter, saving lives,
“They were able to stop the suspect from continuing to kill and harm others,” the police chief had said.
Fierro, who was at the Club with his family to watch a drag performance by one of his daughter’s high school friends, told media persons that he had “grabbed the pistol” from Aldrich and “started whaling on him”. Fierro recalled James tackled the shooter with him, fell to the ground and pushed one of the guns away from the shooter’s hands. Then James, at Fierro’s urging, repeatedly kicked Aldrich in the face.
Fierro’s daughter’s boyfriend Raymond Green Vance was one of those who died in the shooting. The other deceased victims were identified as trans woman and Denver resident Kelly Loving (40), trans man and bartender Daniel Ashton (20), bartender Derrick Rump (38) and community worker Ashley Paugh .
Aldrich, was produced before a court last week, and is facing multiple charges of murder and hate crime. He is expected to be formally charged at a court hearing on December 6, 2022.
