Ten Dead in Colorado Supermarket Shooting

Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.

Ten people, one of them a Boulder police officer, are dead following a shooting at a King Soopers in south Boulder on Monday.

After police earlier in the day did not confirm the number of fatalities, Boulder police Chief Maris Herold said at an evening news conference there were 10 dead, including Boulder police Officer Eric Talley.

"My heart goes out to the victims of this incident and I'm grateful for the police officers that responded, and I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley."

Herold said police received a call at about 2:30 p.m. of a man with a rifle at the King Soopers at 3600 Table Mesa. Herold said Talley was the first on scene and was fatally shot.

Herold said Talley's actions were "heroic," and also praised the officers who followed him in responding to the active scene.

"Police officers' actions fell nothing short of being heroic," she said.

The other nine victims have not yet been publicly identified by the Boulder County Coroner's Office, but Herold said they were working to notify families as soon as possible.

"I know there are people out there waiting for an answer, and I'm sympathetic to that," Herold said.

Police said the shooting and possible motive were still under investigation, but police do have one suspect in custody and do not believe there is any threat to the public.

"I want to reassure the community they are safe," Herold said.

'We Just Ran'

Sarah Moonshadow and her son, Nicolas Edwards, had just finished paying for strawberries when two shots rang out. She told her son to get down.

"We just ran," Moonshadow said.

They felt the concussions of shots as they sprinted out. Outside, a body was lying in the parking lot and Moonshadow started toward it. "My son said, 'No, Mom! We can't do anything.'"

By the time they got outside, Edwards said police were flying into the parking lot and pulled up next to the body.

"I knew we couldn't do anything for the guy," he said. "We had to go."

Just before 3 p.m. on Monday, Gary Strand and his wife, Jaye Hendrix, left the credit union and liquor store next to the grocery store when they heard the unthinkable happen.

"So we got to the car and — we started backing up right and then we heard pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," Strand said in an interview Monday.

"We both thought 'What's that noise?'. And then we heard the heavier booms and I said 'Well that must be fireworks' but then I was thinking, 'Why would anyone be setting off fireworks right now'," he added.

The Strands had just deposited a few checks at Elevations Credit Union, then picked up something from Pettyjohn's Liquor and Wine and were deciding if they wanted to get the few things they needed from King Soopers right then or if it could wait. Ultimately the couple decided they could wait when the store was less crowded as Strand noted many people had been stocking up for the snow that was expected to come later in the evening.

As the couple left and went north on South Broadway toward the Super Target, just 4.5 miles away on Pearl Street, Strand said he and his wife saw several Boulder police cars speeding toward the King Soopers. As the couple headed back to their home in the neighborhood behind King Soopers, they said the entire area barricaded with police and other first responders from several different agencies.

"That's when I turned to my wife and we both knew we had gotten audio from a mass shooting, we thought oh my God we recorded it. We got audio of a mass shooting," Strand described. He said they immediately went home and pulled his audio from his dash cam and sent it in to the police.

"We are quite shaken because my wife actually had worked for this King Soopers briefly part time during COVID for the pick-up service and she is worried about some of her friends in the store," Strand said. "We hope they are OK, but we are worried, she is worried sick about it."

Even hours after the shooting, police said the area around the King Soopers would remain closed while the investigation continued.

Marina La Grave, a victims advocate with the Boulder Police Department, was headed to support those who survived the shooting

"It's going to be a long night," she said.

Investigation Continues

Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said his office would work with police to determine the next steps.

"This is a tragedy and nightmare for Boulder County," Dougherty said. "We will stand united in support of victims and families to ensure justice is done."

Police did not release any further information about the suspect Monday.

Talley was 51, and was hired by the department in 2010, according to Herold.

"My heart goes out to Eric Talley's family, his loved ones and his colleagues," Herold said.

Talley is the first Boulder officer to be killed in the line of duty since Beth Haynes in 1994, and only the sixth on-duty death in the department's history.

A procession of area law enforcement vehicles escorted the ambulance carrying Talley's body to the Boulder County Coroner's Office.

The Boulder Chamber of Commerce lit the Boulder star Monday night in honor of the victims, President and CEO John Tayer said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sent out a tweet on the shooting.

"Like my fellow Coloradans, I am closely watching unfolding events at King Soopers in Boulder," Polis said. "My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy."

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse also put out a statement Monday.

"There are no words to describe the pain my community is experiencing tonight," Neguse wrote. "I am heartbroken and praying for the families of those we've lost. This cannot be our new normal. We must address the gun violence crisis in our country."

Boulder Councilwoman Rachel Friend also sent out her condolences Monday.

"There are no words to convey how sorry I am, to those who lost loved ones," Friend tweeted. "My heart breaks for all who joined the unbearable ranks of survivors of gun violence tragedy in our community today."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that U.S. President Joe Biden, "has been briefed on the shooting in Colorado and he will be kept up to date by his team as there are additional developments."