COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Saturday night will mark one week since the Club Q shooting.
Five people were killed and 19 others were hurt. One of the injured victims is Isaiah Aponte, a U.S. Air Force veteran who spoke with Denver7 about his recovery.
Aponte was out enjoying a fun night with his friend when he saw the gunman walk into the club.
"Once he made it past the entrance to the bar, that's when I saw what it was," said Aponte. "I remember him just directly shooting towards the bar. I ended up just trying to get as much cover for myself."
Isaiah recently moved to Colorado Springs after serving in the Air Force for four years.
"I was able to remain calm in the situation, and just do what I knew that I needed to do in that situation. My friend tried to run for one of the back doors. And he ended up getting shot a few times. I thought he was gone. But he ended up making it," added Aponte.
He's forever grateful for the people who stepped in to save their lives.
"I could still see everything that was going on. I saw one person start to run over there. And then I saw him over there, ended up being able to subdue [the shooter]. And then once he was on the ground, that was when I was able to get out of there," he said. "Thank you. And especially as another veteran, I definitely appreciated that."
He was hit by shrapnel. Despite all he's been through, Aponte remains in good spirits. He was finally discharged from the hospital Friday afternoon.
"Could have been a lot worse and I just got to be one of the lucky ones. Best thing to do is stay positive through everything," he said.
If you'd like to help Isaiah, you can do that here.