Update: in a press conference shortly before 8:30 p.m. March 22, the Boulder Police Dept. confirmed 10 dead, including a member of its police department, in a shooting at a King Soopers store in Boulder. The officer is identified as Officer Eric Talley, age 51, on the force since 2010.
As if we all haven’t had enough to handle this year, a gunman decided that today was the day to violently express his feelings in a Boulder, Colorado King Soopers grocery store, part of the Kroger grocery store conglomerate. There are apparently multiple victims, although Boulder Police have refused to provide any information about the number of victims.
The shooter entered the store, shortly after 2:40 p.m. this afternoon, having apparently shot people in the parking lot, and catching and shooting at employees and shoppers at the store entrance.
Governor Jared Polis released the following statement on the Boulder shooting at 5:17 p.m. related to the active shooter situation that occurred this afternoon at a King Soopers grocery store just off Broadway, in Boulder, Colorado near the University of Colorado:
“My heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community. We are making every public safety resource available to assist the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department as they work to secure the store. I’m incredibly grateful to the brave men and women who have responded to the scene to help the victims of this senseless tragedy. This is very much an active situation and we continue to monitor it very closely. We ask for your patience as law enforcement works tirelessly to secure the site. Right now, the biggest priority is to let local law enforcement and the City of Boulder do their work to ensure the safety of those involved.”
King Soopers, a brand of the Kroger Stores grocery chain, is one of the most recognizable brands in Colorado accounting for a significant amount of consumer grocery shopping dollars. Courtesy photo.
Law enforcement responded en masse to the active shooter event. At this point, the only fatality they have confirmed is the loss of one Boulder Police Officer who was one of the earliest on the scene. The situation continued for hours.
Several store employees worked with customers, several of them near the checkout and the store pharmacy where they were waiting for COVID-19 vaccine shots; getting them to employee lounge areas, and hiding them in closets and cubby areas so they could not be found. Because the threat came directly in through the front entrance, several people inside the building got out through the roof of the building.
Police searched the store for additional threats and searched for people who still might be in hiding. Boulder Police have confirmed that at this time, there is no ongoing public threat. They do have a suspect in custody, who is being treated for his injuries. Police were seen removing a man wearing only his shorts from the store area, bleeding on the back of his legs, who was apparently the gunman.
A press conference by Boulder Police Department was delayed at least twice; first from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. tonight. Then at 6:30 p.m. delayed again, apparently as information has been assembled from employees and customers who witnessed the events. But the delay did not yield much more in the way of information.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said, “We are in very early stages of a very large investigation and we are going to be very careful to do justice for the victims.”
Near 7:00 p.m. Monday night, Boulder Police had earlier refused to place a number on the employees and customers killed. They also had no information to offer on what the gunman might have said when he entered the grocery store. The Denver Post had earlier reported that at least six people have been killed, including a police officer, but there was no official confirmation of that number.
That hours after the incident the public didn’t yet magnitude of the tragedy was considered strange. “Regarding the fact that that police still won’t give out the number of people who have been killed — I’d say the public has a right to know the size of the disaster,” said Retired ATF Agent in Charge Jim Cavanaugh.
District Attorney for Boulder County Michael Dougherty earlier would only confirm that “there are multiple victims,” but during the 8:30 p.m. press conference he reiterated that they would take great care to be sure that justice was done for the families of the victims.
“Our hearts are broken over this senseless act of violence,” said King Sooper spokesperson Kelly McGannon.
Asked if there was a number that people could use in searching for information about their missing family members, the Boulder Police Chief said that the CU Police Department was helping families look for information, but gave no phone number.
When asked about who the witnesses with possible information should call, he gave the main phone number for the Boulder Police Department (303-441-3333). Then he said that families looking for information should call that number too; apparently not mindful that calling that number puts vulnerable people into a frustrating phone tree.
BPD said it would have no further updates until at least Tuesday morning, March 23.
Krogers is one of the major grocery chains in Colorado. It owns and operates the King Soopers store brand on the Front Range, and locally in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the store brand is known as City Market.
Ed Rogers just stated beautifully my sentiments exactly. A license to drive, but not a darn thing required to purchase a weapon of mass destruction. And all this drivel about “Next, they’ll take away all our guns” is drivel. I’ve never talked to a Democrat representative in Colorado who wanted to void the Second Amendment and take away all guns; that is just simply inciting rhetoric for the nuts. By the way, I do think Voter Suppression and making it SO DIFFICULT for “everyone” to vote (and not just white people who work fairly flexible day jobs) IS something we need to worry about, but not voiding the Second Amendment. Back to Guns, again: clearly, the two 21-yr-olds who purchased guns within a week of their mass shootings had nothing in their background to restrict purchasing an assault rifle. So, background checks are not the answer. But, banning the sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines WOULD help this situation. The other blah blah blah that we all hear is: If you take away guns, someone can run their car into a crowd, should be ban cars? Please, people. Yes, and a woman can hit her husband over the head with a frying pan. It would be nice to deal with the reality of the current situation. That is, mass shootings occur everywhere, constantly, and are a threat to all of us because — as stated previously — you want assault weapons? Go anywhere you want and get one easily, quickly, and away you go.
“EVERY SINGLE MASS SHOOTING has been done by an angry white guy”
So outlaw angry white guys and leave the guns out of it. The shooter in Boulder was an immigrant. Also, if you change the definition of “mass shooting” a little bit and don’t cherry pick statistics, then the demographics changes to a less ideal narrative.
How about actually having an argument instead of jumping straight to race and hyperbole?
Really — what is your source for that statement that “every single mass shooting has been done by an angry white guy?”– because this article did not refer to any angry white guy with guns. We don’t know if that is true or not, even if we could confirm that to be true, there would surely be a qualifier..in what state or region or country, for what period of time… This article stuck to the known facts, and it did not speculate on race or hyperbole –We quoted no statistics, We didn’t raise demographics. We reported the facts of a horrific mass shooting — We don’t know what on earth you mean by “a less ideal narrative.” Ten people have been murdered. This is the time for grief over these precious lives lost.
Stricter gun control? Yep. Ban my AR? Nope.
I’ve never supported the NRA, and I’m all for making it a lot more difficult for people to purchase and own weapons, but I’ll be damned if I’ll turn in my rifles.
No one asked you to turn in your guns Jeff, whatever kind they are. Stricter gun control — well that would surely be logical, especially for those individuals with mental health issues that appears to be related to the sad Boulder tragedy.
I don’t care how “law-abiding” any gun owner is: there is zero reason for owning a semi-automatic and/or assault rifle and high capacity magazines. Now that a massacre has occurred at an outdoor music festival (from high above in a high-rise hotel), a nightclub, an elementary school, several colleges/universities, churches (plural) and synagogues (plural), McDonald’s, spas, driving down the road in El Paso, various places of employment, and now a grocery store — it’s our new reality that some of us will be victims of random shootings and probably soon. This list doesn’t include the guy who shoots someone over a parking space or a mattress in the alley or dog poop in his yard. “Law-abiding” gun owners include several military people on military bases who have also conducted mass shooting. Rep. Lamborn was raging about the illegal immigrants bringing in the COVID surge and crime: well, the true reality is this: no illegal immigrants brought in the COVID surge to the mountain towns; nope — it was rich white people coming to recreate. And, another fact that needs to be stated repeatedly: EVERY SINGLE MASS SHOOTING has been done by an angry white guy. Whether he’s socially inept & bullied, or diss’d by women, or has a bully mentality, or is a guy who resents other races, all the mass shootings are done by angry white men. No immigrants, no women — nope. MEN who are mad about something. Well, 2/3 of the population is in favor of stricter gun control. And, all of us need to hear ANY reason for individuals owning assault rifles. It isn’t your right: your rights end where other people’s right to safe lives begins. Assault rifles are not needed for “protecting your home and family.” As always, the Second Amendment was written when there were muskets and roaming thieves. In 230 yrs, things have changed in our country. I’m scared to put my actual name here . . . too much anger and too many guns.
As someone who owns several weapons, the problem is not the lack of a death penalty. The problem is the easy access to weapons. It is easier in this country to buy weapons then it is to get a drivers license. You pass a test you can get the driver’s license, if you abuse the privilege of having that license you can lose that license. Not so with weapons. Walk off the street into a weapons store and walk out with the weapon and enough rounds to do damage. That is what the Boulder shooter did just six days before his killing spree. Same with the killer in Georgia. Oh, I do believe Georgia has the death penalty. That sure did not stop that killer. Also the guy in Texas and the guy in Florida and so on. The problem is easy access to weapons. That is why America is number 1 in the world for mass killings. The Second Amendment has been abused to the point that it now stands for the right to own weapons trumps the right of citizens to be secure and safe. It has to end. The right for citizens to be secure and safe trumps the Second Amendment. Some people should not be allowed to own weapons and the death penalty only is applied after loved ones are murdered. The NRA was once an organization who’s mission was hunter safety. It is now a refuge for zealots and has the blood of multiple mass murders on its hands. . End of argument.
Leading off with ‘guns again’ to me isn’t journalism as you already showed your colors…..
Larry, Your comment reveals your bias. The fact is that an armed gunman stormed a Colorado grocery store where many of us (perhaps not you) go to get our groceries, upsetting any semblance of normal. He killed ten people — WITH A GUN — not a piece of licorice. This is guns — again. That is not a bias. That is a fact.
Guns don’t walk around city’s. Is the person . Get rid of persons how kill others, but you took the death penalty away.
Your point is — what? Guns don’t aim themselves and they don’t shoot themselves. Someone has to pull the trigger. Even if a death penalty existed in Colorado, to receive it you would have to do — what? Oh yes, kill some people. Yes, it is guns, again.