Biden calls veteran credited with taking down Club Q gunman

President Biden on Tuesday called Richard Fierro, an Army veteran who has been credited with taking down the gunman inside an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden personally thanked Fierro “for his bravery and for his, just, instinct to act.”

“The president just moments ago spoke to Richard and his wife Jess. He offered his condolences to them and also his support and he talked through what it’s like to grieve,” she said.

Additionally, Jean-Pierre noted that Thomas James has also been credited with confronting and stopping the gunman during the shooting on Saturday.

“Richard and Thomas are heroes, and we are so grateful for their quick action,” Jean-Pierre said.

Fierro said in an interview on Monday that he “went into combat mode” when the shooting began. He was watching a drag show at Club Q with his wife, daughter and friends when shots were fired.

Jean-Pierre opened the briefing on Tuesday by honoring the lives of the five victims of the shooting. She showed photographs of Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh and Derrick Rump and spoke about each of them.

“While we don’t know yet for certain the motive of this attack, hate has no place in this country. And neither do military style assault rifles, which is why we will continue to push for an assault weapons ban,” Jean-Pierre said.

When asked how Biden plans to reinstate an assault weapon ban with Republican leadership in the House and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate, she said the president is “optimistic that we can get this done.”

“The president’s not going to stop until we ban assault weapons,” she added.

Biden on Monday called Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) to discuss the deadly shooting at Club Q.