The Army Major Who Stopped The Colorado Springs Gunman

INSIDE: Mike Pompeo ... Stewart Rhodes ... Alex Jones
COLORADO SPRING, CO - NOVEMBER 21: Richard Fierro, with his brother Ed by his side, talks about the night of the shooting outside of his home on November 21, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Fierro is credited w... COLORADO SPRING, CO - NOVEMBER 21: Richard Fierro, with his brother Ed by his side, talks about the night of the shooting outside of his home on November 21, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Fierro is credited with saving many lives when he took the shooter by the back and pulled him to the ground. He was able to get the shooters gun and hit him over the head with it. He told another person to kick the shooter until police arrived on scene. Fierro said his training in the Army helped him react to the shooter. Fierro, a former Army major, had three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. Fierro was detained by the police for an hour before they realized what he had done inside the Club Q. He is being hailed a hero for stopping the shooter from killing many more people inside the gay nightclub. An attacker opened fire in a gay nightclub late Saturday night killing five people and wounding at least 25, officials said. Colorado Springs police Chief Adrian Vasquez identified the suspect as 22-year old Anderson Lee Aldrich. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

A Good Guy Without A Gun

A remarkable account of the heroics of Richard M. Fierro, a retired Army major who was watching a drag show at a Colorado Springs gay club with his wife and daughter and her boyfriend, when he heard the sound of small arms fire.

  • “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.”
  • “These kids want to live that way, want to have a good time, have at it. I’m happy about it because that is what I fought for, so they can do whatever they hell they want.”
  • “I grabbed the gun out of his hand and just started hitting him in the head, over and over.”
  • “In combat, most of the time nothing happens, but it’s that mad minute, that mad minute, and you are tested in that minute. It becomes habit. I don’t know how I got the weapon away from that guy, no idea. I’m just a dude, I’m a fat old vet, but I knew I had to do something.”
  • “Driving home from the hospital I told them, ‘Look, I’ve gone through this before, and down range, when this happens, you just get out on the next patrol. You need to get it out of your mind.’ That is how you cured it. You cured it by doing more. Eventually you get home safe. But here I worry there is no next patrol. It is harder to cure. You are already home.”

The boyfriend was killed in the shooting.

Preach, Brother

Scoopage

Maricopa County clarifies to TPM’s Kaila Philo the exact circumstances in which its top election official spent election night in an undisclosed location under the armed guard of sheriff’s deputies.

The Day Ahead

This afternoon, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in the the Mar-a-Lago documents case. We’ll be covering closely. Please join us!

Reminder: DOJ wants the appeals court to end the specious special master process put in place by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. The appeals court has already shown deep skepticism toward the trial judge’s rulings in the case, so the Justice Department is expected to prevail. But we’ll get a better sense of where the appeals court stands and perhaps how quickly it will rule in today’s proceedings.

Meanwhile down in Georgia, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mike Flynn are scheduled to testify in the grand jury investigation into Trump’s 2020 election meddling.

Special Counsel Gets Started

Special counsel Jack Smith effectively entered his appearance in the Mar-a-Lago case yesterday. Smith remains in Europe recovering from injuries sustained in a bike accident.

The worst thing about the special counsel mechanism is that it personalizes prosecutions and turns it into a mano-a-mano confrontation between prosecutor and defendant.

There is something about the depersonalized legions of career prosecutors at DOJ doing their slow, plodding work that vindicates the law. The press coverage always tries to turn it into a showdown at the OK Corral, but it’s hard when the prosecutors are more or less replaceable figures in an institutional setting. Special counsel, though, tees up a certain kind of highly personalized coverage. Alas, here we go.

The Price Of Trumpism

The final numbers are in: 2 of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump will be returning to the new Congress.

High On Their Own Supply

LOL headline of the day: GOP centrists prepare to ‘flex our muscles’

2024 Is Gonna Be Insane

The race among those not named Trump to come off as Trump-like is going to be not just shameless but damaging in its own right. Here’s a sample: Trump-lite Mike Pompeo declares teachers union head Randi Weingarten the most dangerous person in the world.

Jury Deliberating In Oath Keepers Case

After more than six weeks of trial testimony, closing arguments wrapped up Monday, and the seditious conspiracy case against Stewart Rhodes and his fellow Oath Keepers is now with the jury. Stay tuned.

On Again Off Again … And Back On?

The new Manhattan DA can’t seem to make up his mind. After shutting down the criminal investigation of Donald Trump immediately after taking office, prompting the resignations of top prosecutors, Alvin Bragg reportedly wants back in the game now.

The New York Times account is long and convoluted and suggests a renewed focus on Trump’s hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. But it doesn’t appear as if new prosecutorial steps will be taken any time soon.

Scoundrel Watch

Alex Jones has been moving money around – LOTS of money – since the Sandy Hook families began closing in on damage awards against him of more than $1 billion, according to this well-reported Washington Post piece.

‘The Majority Of Those Who Died Were Children’ 

More than 200 people dead in earthquake in Indonesia.

No Turning Back

Earthset

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Notable Replies

  1. I saw on TV earlier Fierro said the drag queen stomped on the guy’s head with her heels, I hope she was wearing stilettos.

  2. Smith remains in Europe recovering from injuries sustained in a bike accident.

    No hurry Jack, you get better. We have all the time in the world. Nothing pressing here, nothing that can’t wait while you heal, convalesce, arrange travel back to the States and get up to speed. Might have been someone else qualified to hit the ground running, but here in America we understand recreation, and its pitfalls. See you soon. We hope.

  3. He’s brave!

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