Who was Eric Talley, Boulder police officer killed in Colorado supermarket shooting?
BOULDER, Colo. – A Boulder police officer was among the 10 people killed when gunfire erupted Monday at a King Soopers supermarket in Colorado, authorities said.
People gather for a candlelight vigil on March 23, 2021, to honor the ten victims of a mass shooting that occurred a day earlier at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
Mourners cry while looking at the scene of the crime the day after a gunman opened fired at a King Sooper’s grocery store on March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
Star Samkus, who works at the King Soopers grocery store and knew three of the victims of a mass shooting at the store a day earlier, cries while kneeling in front of crosses placed in honor of the victims, Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Christopher and Leah Clack hug in front of dozens of flowers placed on the police vehicle belonging to fallen Boulder Police officer Eric Talley on March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
A patrol car outside of the Boulder Police Department is adorned with flowers in honor of Officer Eric Talley, who was killed after a gunman opened fire at a King Sooper’s grocery store on March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
Louis Saxton plays his cello to honor the ten victims of a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado on March 23, 2021.
People gather for a candlelight vigil on March 23, 2021, to honor the 10 victims of a mass shooting that occurred a day earlier at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
A child holds a candle as people gather for a candlelight vigil on March 23, 2021, to honor the 10 victims of a mass shooting that occurred a day earlier at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.
A man writes a message on a cross outside of the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, where a mass shooting took place a day earlier, killing ten people, including a Boulder police officer.
A woman who only wanted to be identified as Rowan looks at hundreds of flowers put into the fence surrounding the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive on March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
CU students Allison Popp, left, and Julia Juracka, with flowers, leave a bouquet of roses in front of the police vehicle belonging to fallen Boulder Police officer Eric Talley on March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
An American flag is draped over a patrol car outside of the Boulder Police Department adorned with flowers in honor of Officer Eric Talley, the day after a gunman opened fired at a King Sooper’s grocery store on March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado.
BOULDER, CO – MARCH 23: A mourner pays their respects to Officer Eric Talley, who was killed when a gunman opened fire at a King Sooper’s grocery store on March 23, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado. Ten people were killed in the attack.
>> Boulder supermarket shooting: 10 killed, including officer, police confirm
Here’s what we know about Officer Eric Talley, 51:
1. Talley was the first officer to respond, officials said.
In a news conference late Monday, Boulder police Chief Maris Herold said Talley responded to the Table Mesa Drive grocery store after the department began receiving reports of a shooting about 2:30 p.m., according to KMGH.
“I have to tell you the heroic action of this officer,” Herold said, adding that Talley “was the first on the scene, and he was fatally shot.”
A visibly emotional Herold added: “I’m grateful for the police officers that responded, and I am so sorry about the loss of Officer Talley.”
2. He had been with the Boulder Police Department for more than a decade.
Herold told reporters that Talley joined the department in 2010.
“He served in numerous roles supporting the Boulder Police Department and the community of Boulder,” Herold said, according to The Associated Press.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty went on to describe Talley as “one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department.”
“His life was cut far too short as he responded to the shooting that was taking place at King Soopers,” Dougherty said.
3. Talley was a father of seven.
The officer’s father, Homer, described Talley as a loving father in a statement obtained by KMGH.
“He took his job as a police officer very seriously,” the statement read. “He had seven children. The youngest is 7 years old. He loved his kids and his family more than anything.”
The statement added that Talley “was looking for a job to keep himself off of the front lines, and he was learning to be a drone operator,” according to KMGH.
“He didn’t want to put his family through something like this, and he believed in Jesus Christ,” the statement read.
4. Talley’s sister reportedly described the loss of her brother as “devastating.”
According to The New York Times, CBS News and NBC News, a woman who identified herself as Talley’s sister took to Twitter to remember her slain brother.
“Officer Eric Talley is my big brother,” the tweet read, according to the news outlets. “He died today in the Boulder shooting. My heart is broken. I cannot explain how beautiful he was and what a devastating loss this is to so many. Fly high my sweet brother. You always wanted to be a pilot (damn color blindness). Soar.”
5. Public figures and agencies took to social media to pay tribute to Talley.
Here’s what they were saying:
Boulder Police Department
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis
Police stand outside a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
A man holds an American flag as a procession of emergency vehicles leaves a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Police stand outside a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Police work on the scene outside of a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Women hug on the corner of Broadway and Table Mesa Drive near a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Police continue their investigation at a King Soopers grocery store where authorities say multiple people were killed in a shooting, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriff Department officers head to a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Police work on the scene outside of a King Soopers grocery store where a shooting took place Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Police work on the scene outside of a King Soopers grocery store where authorities say multiple people were killed in a shooting, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
Firefighters salute an ambulance as it leaves a King Soopers grocery store where authorities say multiple people have been killed in a shooting, Monday, March 22, 2021, in Boulder, Colo.
