The shooting deaths of ten people in a Boulder King Soopers grocery store on Monday afternoon has shocked the state. Nine of these people were only going about their daily lives; picking up milk, buying dog food, waiting for their COVID-19 vaccination. The tenth, a Boulder Police Officer, was killed responding to the incident at the King Soopers store just off Broadway in Boulder. He was the first law enforcement officer arriving at the active shooter scene.
The dead include:
- Denny Strong, 20
- Neven Stanisic, 23
- Rikki Olds, 25
- Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
- Teri Leiker, 51
- Eric Talley, 51
- Suzanne Fountain, 59
- Kevin Mahoney, 61
- Lynn Murray, 62
- Jodi Waters, 65
Colorado’s elected officials have reacted with a combination not just of horror and grief, but with anger and resolve that some gun safety legislation must be passed.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis released the following statement
“Today, ten lives were tragically lost, including Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley. Officer Talley served more than ten years with the Boulder Police Department and tragically lost his life at the age of 51 while working to save the lives of others.
And tonight, the families of these victims, our fellow Coloradans, my neighbors, are hearing the devastating news that their loved one who simply woke up and went to work this morning, or who ran out to pick up eggs, won’t be coming home. Our community anxiously awaits more information on the victims, hoping it’s not our friends, coworkers and neighbors but knowing in our tight knit community it will be, and even if we don’t personally know them, we all mourn their senseless killing and our sense of safety in our local grocery store.
This year we have all been surrounded by loss of life, illness and isolation, and the deep grief that has accompanied the loss of life as we knew it. As spring sprung this weekend, and vaccines continue to get into arms, lightness creeped back in only for the darkness to descend on us again today. Today we saw the face of evil. I am grieving with my community and all Coloradans.”
The state senators who represent Boulder issued a grieving public statement calling for gun safety legislation:
“Yesterday our community suffered a horrifying and excruciating loss. Innocent lives were cut brutally short. Running to grab a carton of milk with their kids, or a soda on a lunch break, they were met with deadly, senseless violence. Violence that has become all too common in America. A country where 100 people are killed every day by guns and yet our federal legislation has remained painfully inadequate.”
“We need fundamental change, or we’ll be back here again and again, in never-ending cycles of unnecessary loss and pain. Our hearts are sickeningly heavy for the families of the victims, and while we send them all our love and support, we also call on our national leaders to do more than sympathize, we need them to act. In the meantime, Colorado will continue to lead by example —passing meaningful gun safety legislation in the hopes that no family has to face this ever again.”
Colorado U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, a fomer Colorado Governor, issued the following statement:
“Our state grieves tonight as we mourn ten more Coloradans senselessly killed by gun violence – including police officer Eric Talley. Our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones, and we are grateful to the frontline workers and first responders whose bravery saved lives.”
“We all share Boulder’s pain – pain that hits home. Columbine, Arapahoe, Platte Canyon, STEM School Highlands Ranch, Planned Parenthood, Aurora – and now Boulder. More needs to be done to prevent dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. Enough is enough.”
Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued a statement condeming the violence and again raising the topic of gun control:
“My heart goes out to the families of the Coloradans, including a Boulder police officer, whose lives were tragically taken by a senseless act of gun violence. I am deeply grateful for the swift response from law enforcement and first responders. As the investigation continues, we need to revisit a national conversation about gun violence that does not regress into partisanship.”
“It’s long past time for Congress to take meaningful action to keep deadly weapons out of the wrong hands. There are steps that the overwhelming majority of Americans want us to take. And they have every right to expect us to finally do something about gun violence in our country. Enough is enough.”
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