The police officer killed in the shooting sought a safer job
He was the first Boulder police officer to arrive at the King Soopers store Monday afternoon. The 51-year-old quickly lost his life trying to save others.
Officer Talley is survived by his wife and seven children, his father said.
“He loved his family more than anything,” Homer Talley said. He was also a prankster with a “great sense of humor.”
A storied career
Talley had been a member of the Boulder police force since 2010, Police Chief Maris Herold said.
In 2013, he and a small group of Boulder officers made headlines after rescuing ducklings from a drainage ditch.
Over the years, Talley “served in numerous roles supporting the Boulder Police Department and the community of Boulder,” Herold said.
“I have to tell you the heroic action of this officer when he responded to the scene” Monday, the police chief said. “He didn’t have to go into policing, but he felt a higher calling.”
She said Talley was “willing to die to protect others” and embodied “everything policing deserves and needs.”
Just two weeks ago, Talley and his family were in the police chief’s office as one of his sons accepted an award.
Talley had taught his family CPR, and his son used that skill to help save a family member who had swallowed a quarter, Herold said.
Now the joy of that celebration has been overshadowed by grief.
“I feel numb,” the police chief said. “It’s heartbreaking to talk to victims, the families.”
Support throughout the community
A Colorado State Police officer salutes as a procession with the body of Eric Talley leaves King Sooper’s grocery store.
Multiple law enforcement agencies held a rolling vigil in Talley’s honor Monday night.
“He was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department, and his life was cut far too short,” Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.
“For all the victims who were killed at King Soopers, these were people going about their day, doing their food shopping, and their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter.”
Talley was very aware of the danger he faced as a police officer. His father told KUSA he recently looked into becoming a drone operator because he thought it would be safer.
CNN’s Shawn Nottingham, Joe Sutton and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.
