Boulder Police Officer Killed in King Soopers Shooting: Cops

A Boulder Police officer was killed when he responded to the scene of an active shooter at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, the commander of his department confirmed during a Monday evening press conference. The officer was identified later in the evening as Eric Talley, 51.

Officials named the other nine victims of the mass shooting in a press conference Tuesday morning.

Police said they were called shortly before 3 p.m. local time on March 22 to the grocery store at 3600 Table Mesa Drive. They later took into custody a person of interest who was injured on the scene; they took him to a hospital for medical care before booking him into jail Tuesday morning, police said. The suspect was named Tuesday morning as Ahmad Alissa, 21, of Arvada.

Here’s what you need to know:

Police Confirmed a Responding Boulder Police Officer Died in the Line of Duty During the Mass Shooting

Boulder Police Commander Kerry Yamaguchi confirmed early reports that a police officer had been killed at the scene of the mass shooting in Boulder.

“There was loss of life. There were multiple people who were killed in this incident, and I am sorry to have to report that one of them was a Boulder police officer,” Yamaguchi said. “During this trying time, I would ask the media and the public to honor the privacy of the officer’s family and his coworkers here at the police department.”

In a later news conference, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold named the officer as Talley, a 10-year veteran of the force.

The officer was one of the first to arrive on the scene. He was shot and killed just moments after he arrived, according to scanner traffic obtained by Heavy.

Yamaguchi said during the Monday evening press conference that police arrived “within minutes of the initial 911 calls and entered the building very quickly.”

About 100 First Responder Vehicles Escorted the Fallen Officer’s Body Following the Mass Shooting

About 100 first responder vehicles gathered to escort the body of the fallen Boulder police officer in the hours after the shooting, reporter Kyle Clark of 9News wrote on Twitter.

“Approximately 100 first responders’ vehicles are prepared for a procession to escort the body of the Boulder Police Officer who was among those killed in today’s supermarket shooting,” he wrote.

He shared a video of the procession as a sea of red and blue lights silently escorted the officer.

The City of Boulder shared an image on Twitter which was retweeted by the Boulder Police Department.

“Our hearts are broken. Lives were taken today, including one of our brave @boulderpolice officers,” the tweet said.

The image was a landscape overlaid with text.

“This is a tragic day in Boulder,” it said. “Our hearts are broken from the lives lost. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all.”

Local lawmakers also expressed support for law enforcement in the aftermath of the shooting.

Congressman Ken Buck said he was praying for law enforcement.

“Praying for our law enforcement who are responding to the active shooter at the King Soopers in #Boulder,” Buck wrote. “Please follow the advice of @boulderpolice and avoid the area.”

“Praying for the entire #Boulder community & all of the first responders and law enforcement responding to this terrible incident,” wrote Representative Joe Neguse.

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