Rikki Olds was identified by family as a 25-year-old shooting victim at the King Soopers store in Boulder, Colorado, on March 22. The aunt who identified her called her “a beautiful young angel.”
She was the second victim to be publicly named after 10 people lost their lives in the Colorado grocery store mass shooting. Police formally released the name of only one of the 10 victims on the day of the shooting, Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley. They released the remaining victim names in a press conference the morning of March 23 after making identifications and notifying the victims’ families.
According to the New York Post, Olds worked at King Soopers as an assistant front-end manager. “She loved her job, to be truthful with you, that’s probably what killed her,” said her grandmother, Jeanette Olds, according to the news site.
The gunman, who was also wounded at the scene, is in custody after strolling into the store and randomly opening fire at people inside of it. Talley was shot when he responded to the scene, the first officer to do so, according to Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold. The mass shooting occurred on March 22, 2021. The suspect has been named as Ahmad Alissa.
You can read a roundup of all victims in the mass shooting here.
Here’s what you need to know about Rikki Olds:
Olds’ Aunt Expressed Great Anger at the Loss of Life
Facebook/Rikki OldsRikki Olds in a January Facebook photo.
Lori Olds, who said she is Rikki Olds’ aunt, wrote an angry message on Facebook about the senseless loss of life.
“Thank you everyone for all your prayers but the Lord got a beautiful young angel yesterday at the hands of a deranged monster…We lost our beloved Rikki Olds,” she wrote. “To the monster who shot up the king soopers in Boulder CO yesterday may his rotten ass fry and burn in hell…if i don’t kill him first..we will be posting details about her arrangements in the upcoming days…”
Fifteen hours before, Olds wrote, “Please please please pray my niece Rikki is in that King Soopers right now Lord let her get out safely.”
Another woman responded, “We are so very sorry! She was really special and our hearts are broken too. We truly enjoyed getting to know Rikki while she and my son…have been dating. I just don’t understand why. Why would anyone do this? Please let us know if there is anything we can do for your family. Sending love & light to everyone.”
Olds, Who Was From Lafayette, Colorado, Studied at a Community College
Facebook/Rikki OldsRikki Olds in a Facebook photo posted in September 2020.
On Facebook, Olds said she went to Centaurus High School and Front Range Community College and lived in and was from Lafayette, Colorado. Her most recent post showed a waterfall at Boulder Falls. Other posts also showed the Colorado outdoors.
Her uncle Bob Olds expressed frustration with the notification system, writing on Twitter, “totally understand that a police officer was killed in the line of duty.. rip officer Talley… and thank you so much for running towards the danger and saving lives but what about the rest of us sittin by the phone waiting for notification??”
He added, “i was told by the coroner’s office that officer Talley was identified because he had a nametag.. so did my niece.. then i was told that people exchange id’s … get outta here boulder county coroner’s office… bs.. let my family know…its 2 am and nothing..” An hour after his post, he wrote, “well i am so saddened to report that we finally got the news that my niece has left this world to join her papaw in heaven… fly free and rest easy my loving niece… Rikki Olds… 07/28/95 – 03/22/21…”
Herold said in a news conference: “Our hearts of this community go out to the victims of this horrific incident. We know of 10 fatalities at the scene, including one of our Boulder PD officers by the name of Eric Talley.” She called the officer’s actions “heroic.” Talley “was first on the scene, and he was fatally shot,” Herold said. “Again, my heart goes out to the victims of this incident…I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley.” All of the victims’ names were released on the morning of March 23.
Herold confirmed that “we have one suspect in custody. I want to reassure the community that they are safe.” She said authorities are working with the coroner’s office to identify the other victims. “I know there are people out there waiting for an answer.” She said police would “work around the clock to get this accomplished.”
In a news conference, District Attorney Michael Dougherty said, “My heart goes out to family of Officer Eric Talley. His life was cut much too short.” He expressed condolences to the families of the other nine victims as well, saying there would be a “painstaking investigation.”
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