Thomas James: Another Patron Who Subdued Assailant at Club Q - The New York Times

Thomas James was trained successful the subject connected however to enactment successful a crisis. And helium responded instantly erstwhile an assailant entered Club Q successful Colorado Springs connected Nov. 19 shrouded successful assemblage armor and began shooting with an AR-15-style rifle, the constabulary said.

Mr. James, a petty serviceman 2nd people successful the Navy, helped Richard M. Fierro, an Army seasoned and different patron astatine the L.G.B.T.Q. club, subdue the attacker, preventing further bloodshed successful a massacre that near 5 dormant and 18 injured, the authorities said past week. Chief Adrian Vasquez of the Colorado Springs Police Department said that both knocked down the assailant.

On Sunday, successful his archetypal nationalist comments connected his relation that night, Mr. James said successful a connection that “I simply wanted to prevention the household I found.”

Mr. James issued the connection done Centura Penrose Hospital, wherever helium was recovering from an undisclosed wounded from the attack. The infirmary said helium was successful unchangeable condition.

Mr. Fierro said the chaos during the rampage made the takedown of the assailant a blur, but helium remembers intelligibly however Mr. James, whom helium had ne'er met, tumbled to the crushed with him arsenic helium took down the attacker, pushed 1 of the shooter’s guns away, then, astatine the urging of Mr. Fierro, repeatedly kicked the assailant successful the face.

“That was hard to do, it’s not a humane act,” Mr. Fierro said successful an interview. “But I asked him to assistance me, and helium helped me.”

The fishy successful the attack, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, is being held connected suspicion of first-degree execution and hatred crimes and is expected to beryllium to beryllium formally charged astatine a proceeding connected Dec. 6.

“If I had my way, I would shield everyone I could from the nonsensical acts of hatred successful the world,” Mr. James said.

In his statement, Mr. James told young radical to “be brave.”

“Your household is retired there,” helium said. “You are loved and valued. So erstwhile you travel retired of the closet, travel retired swinging.”

According to Navy records, Mr. James is an accusation systems technician who enlisted successful 2011. He served connected the Bonhomme Richard, the vessel that was destroyed successful a occurrence successful 2020, and astatine bases successful England and the Naval Air Station Lemoore successful California. In 2021, helium was stationed successful Colorado Springs with the Defense Intelligence Agency, which provides subject quality to the Defense Department.

A friend, David Whelan, 48, of Beckley, W. Va., said Mr. James grew up successful the authorities and that the 2 of them became adjacent years agone erstwhile Mr. James would sojourn his crippled and comic publication store arsenic a teenager. The 2 stayed successful interaction implicit the years, and erstwhile Mr. Whelan saw the quality astir his friend’s actions astatine Club Q, helium wasn’t surprised.

“It didn’t substance wherever it would be,” Mr. Whelan said. “If Thomas was determination and gunfire lit out, quiescent Thomas would beryllium the 1 who would leap up and tally to support people. Because if you conscionable cognize him, you cognize that helium doesn’t privation to spot radical hurt.”

Dave Philipps and Jack Healy contributed reporting.

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