Eric Talley, officer killed in King Soopers shooting, honored with procession through Boulder
BOULDER, Colo. - A procession was held Monday evening to honor a fallen police officer who was killed as he responded to a mass shooting at a crowded supermarket in Colorado.
The slain officer was identified as Eric Talley, 51, who had been with Boulder police since 2010. Nine other people were killed in the shooting in southern Boulder. Their names were given Tuesday morning at a news briefing where Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the victims range in age from 20 to 65.
Monday night, dozens of police and emergency vehicles, their lights flashing, escorted an ambulance carrying the officer from the shooting scene to a funeral home after nightfall. Some residents stood along the procession route, their arms raised in salute.
The attack unfolded Monday afternoon at a King Soopers supermarket in a busy shopping plaza. Talley had been the first to arrive after responding to a call about shots fired and someone carrying a rifle, officials said.
"He was by all accounts one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department, and his life was cut too short," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said during a press conference.
A tearful Chief Herold late Monday said he had "served in numerous roles supporting the Boulder Police Department and the community of Boulder." Friends described Talley as a family man, FOX 31 Denver reported.
The Boulder Police Department pinned a tweet on their profile honoring Talley.
"Rest in peace Officer Eric Talley. Your service will never be forgotten," the department wrote.
One suspect was in custody, Herold said late Monday. Tuesday morning authorities identified the suspect as 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. Dougherty said the suspect was the only person injured and was receiving medical care. He's been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.
RELATED: Boulder King Soopers shooting: 21-year-old man charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder
Officers had escorted a shirtless man in handcuffs, blood running down his leg, from the store during the siege. Authorities would not say if he was the suspect. Foothills Hospital in Boulder was treating one person from the shooting scene but refused further comment, said Rich Sheehan, spokesman for Boulder Community Health, which operates the hospital.
Hundreds of police officers from throughout the Denver metropolitan area responded to the attack. SWAT officers carrying ballistic shields slowly approached the store as others quickly escorted frightened people away from the building, some of its windows shattered. Customers and employees fled through a back loading dock to safety. Others took refuge in nearby shops.
"This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County," Dougherty said. "These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice."
Dougherty said it was too early to speculate on a motive and that the investigation involving local, state and federal agencies would take days.
Eric Talley, 51, is pictured in a police image shared by the Boulder Police Department. (Photo credit: Boulder Police Department)
What happened at the Boulder King Soopers shooting?
The shooting unfolded the afternoon of Monday, March 22 at a crowded King Soopers supermarket in southern Boulder, sending terrorized shoppers and workers scrambling for safety. The attack stunned a state and a nation that has grieved several mass killings.
Hundreds of police officers from throughout the Denver metropolitan area responded to the attack. SWAT officers carrying ballistic shields slowly approached the store as others quickly escorted frightened people away from the building, some of its windows shattered. Customers and employees fled through a back loading dock to safety. Others took refuge in nearby shops.
Police engaged in a shootout with the suspect inside the supermarket, which is when an officer who responded to the scene was killed — later identified as 51-year-old Eric Talley.
Officers later escorted a shirtless man in handcuffs, blood running down his leg, from the store during the siege. Authorities would not say at the time if he was the suspect.
Who are the victims of the Boulder King Soopers shooting?
Authorities identified the nine victims after previously identifying Talley, the Boulder police officer who was killed.
The victims ranged in age from 20 to 65, said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.
Police read the names aloud at a news conference Tuesday: Denny Strong, 20, Neven Stanisic, 23, Rikki Olds, 25, Tralona Bartkowiak, 49, Suzanne Fountain, 59, Teri Leiker, 51, Officer Eric Talley, 51, Kevin Mahoney, 61, Lynn Murray, 62, and Jody Waters, 65.
Talley had been with Boulder police since 2010. He was the first to arrive after responding to a call about shots fired and someone carrying a rifle, officials said.
"He was by all accounts one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department, and his life was cut too short," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said during a press conference.
A tearful Chief Herold late Monday said he had "served in numerous roles supporting the Boulder Police Department and the community of Boulder." Friends described Talley as a family man, FOX 31 Denver reported.
Who is the suspect of the King Soopers shooting?
Police on Tuesday identified a 21-year-old man as the suspect in the mass shooting, named Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa from Arvada, Colo.
Officials said he had lived most of his life in the U.S. He was undergoing treatment at a hospital and was expected to be booked into the county jail later Tuesday, Dougherty said.
Investigators don’t know yet why the suspect opened fire inside the grocery store. Dougherty said the investigation is in the early stages but that detectives believe the suspect was the only shooter, Dougherty said.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press that the gunman used an AR-15 rifle, a lightweight semi-automatic rifle. Officials were working fast to trace the gun. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said the suspect has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.
What was the response?
Matthew Kirsch, the acting U.S. attorney for Colorado, pledged that "the full weight of federal law enforcement" will support the investigation. He said investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the crime scene, along with FBI agents.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, meanwhile, said in a statement that "Today we saw the face of evil. I am grieving with my community and all Coloradans."
The King Soopers chain said in a statement that it was offering prayers and support "to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation."
A witness interviewed on the scene by FOX 31 Denver told the local station that he was picking up pizza when he heard what sounded like "five or six gunshots" and the sound of glass breaking inside the store. Daniel Douglas said he saw a suspect with an "AR-15, I think, and he just started shooting."
Another witness told FOX 31 Denver that they heard what they believed to be fireworks as they were checking out at the supermarket and saw a person in the parking lot wearing "tactical gear" carrying an "AR-15 style weapon." The witness said he warned other shoppers inside the store and fled to a nearby fire station, according to the local news station.
A third witness told FOX 31 journalist Shaul Turner he was on his way to pick up coffee when he saw the shooting unfolding.
"I was in shock initially when we realized what was happening and once I called my mom and said I was OK and let her know what was happening, it all kind of sunk in and I started panicking," he said.
Another man, Dean Schiller, told FOX 31 Denver that he was outside the King Soopers store when he heard what he thought were "heavy caliber" rounds going off. Schiller said he believed he saw "at least three" victims.
Investigators had just started sorting through the crime scene and conducting witness interviews, Dougherty said. Matthew Kirsch, the acting U.S. attorney for Colorado, pledged that "the full weight of federal law enforcement" will support the investigation. He said investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the crime scene, along with FBI agents.
A police officer salutes as a procession carrying the body of a fellow officer leaves King Sooper's grocery store where a gunman opened fire on March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)
The attack in Boulder, about 25 miles northwest of Denver and home to the University of Colorado, stunned a state that has seen several mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting.
It was the seventh mass killing this year in the U.S., following the March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
It follows a lull in mass killings during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than a decade, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. It was reported from Cincinnati.