Jeanne Assam of Denver is one of the very few women who know what Lakewood police officer Ashley Ferris is going through.

Ferris on Monday stopped a shooting rampage that left five people dead in Denver and Lakewood.

Assam, a former police officer, stopped a gunman from killing more parishioners at New Life Church in Colorado Springs in a 2007 mass shooting.

“Taking a life is a very life-changing event,” Assam said Thursday in a phone interview. “It’s very difficult. You don’t ever forget the smell of blood and gunpowder together. It’s smoke and violence.”

Ferris is being praised as a heroine after she was shot in the stomach while stopping Monday’s rampage. Ferris continued to shoot after she was injured near West Alaska Drive and South Vance Street within Lakewood’s Belmar shopping district. The shooter died at the scene.

“I guarantee you, she planned ahead, which is so smart,” Assam said. “I tell everybody to do this, plan ahead. Play out scenarios in your mind of what you would do, especially as an officer. Even if she got shot, she knew exactly what to do. ‘I’m going to keep engaging the suspect because I don’t want to die.’ I know what she was thinking — you better keep shooting. That mindset is so crucial.”

Ferris is hospitalized after undergoing several surgeries, but is recovering with her family by her side, according to a release.

The gunman killed five victims in Monday’s rampage: Alicia Cardenas, 44; Alyssa Gunn-Maldonado, 35; Michael Swinyard, 67; Danny Scofield, 38; and Sarah Steck, 28.

“If not for the heroic efforts of Agent Ferris and other law enforcement, this incredibly violent tragedy could have been even worse,” officials wrote in the release.

“She did something incredibly brave, and she was ready,” Assam said. “She was prepared and she ended this guy’s killing spree, just like I did.”

On Dec. 9, 2007, Assam was on high alert after a gunman shot and killed two people at a Christian missionary in Arvada the night before. Assam, then a licensed police officer, was asked to volunteer at security that morning at New Life Church.

She brought her concealed carry handgun and looked for suspicious people or vehicles. The 24-year-old gunman shot five parishioners in the parking lot, killing two teenage girls, and headed inside. Assam confronted him and shot him.

“I’m so glad that I listened to my gut instinct. It still blows my mind,” Assam said. “Did you know he had maps of other locations? He had 3,000 rounds and an AK-47 in the trunk. Why do you think he waited until the uniformed officers left? He didn’t know I was there. He was going (to) keep killing until he ran out of ammunition. That’s the same in this agent’s situation: He was going to keep going until someone stopped him.”

Although Assam wasn’t shot, the gunman fired at her several times — there were bullet holes in the wall behind her.

Assam remembers being inundated with request for interviews, from local and national news organizations.

“Everyone just needs to let her be. I know everyone is going to want to talk to her, but she needs to recover first. It looked very painful and very serious,” Assam said. “She’s probably going to go back to work without question, because she had already prepared herself for this moment.”

Assam still gives motivational speeches, at least before the pandemic disrupted live gatherings. She works as an investigator and provides private security. She still gets emails of encouragement and people recognize her.

“People have been very good to me. … Sometimes I get very nice compliments from people who are still very supportive,” she said.

“I hope she gets the Medal of Valor,” Assam said. “She’s going to relive this moment over and over and over. But I hope she’s proud of herself. I know I am, and I know everybody else is.”