Boulder police officer Eric Talley killed responding to mass shooting

By Saja Hindi
The Denver Post

BOULDER — Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who was killed while responding to the King Soopers shooting, was the father of seven, according to a statement released by his family.

Talley was the first police officer to arrive at the scene of the active shooting Monday afternoon, Police Chief Maris Herold said.

He was among 10 who were killed Monday. The names of the other victims have not been publicly released.

Boulder Police Department via AP

Talley had been with the Boulder Police Department since 2010. Talley was remembered as someone who cared for others — human and animal.

In 2013, Talley was recognized by fellow officers for wading calf-deep into water to try and rescue a family of ducks that found themselves trapped in a drainage ditch, according to the Boulder Daily Camera.

“He took his job as a police officer very seriously,” Homer Talley, Eric Talley’s father, said in the statement released to broadcast media.

But more than anything, he said his son loved his family — the youngest child is 7 years old.

According to the statement, Eric Talley was training to work as a drone operator because, his father said, he didn’t want his family to have to go through such a situation.

On Twitter, a woman who identified herself as Talley’s younger sister posted about how heartbroken she was.

“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,” she wrote.

Talley treated all people as real human beings, an attorney wrote on Facebook about his experience on a ridealong with Talley. He said the experience while he was in law school changed the way he viewed police officers.

[READ: Casualty control at shooting scenes]

https://twitter.com/BrandiKHOU/status/1374295475701096452

“Officers catch a lot of hate, but Officer Talley was a good human being,” Edwin Hurwitz wrote. “My heart goes out to his family, friends, and colleagues.

A procession of police and emergency vehicles escorted Talley’s body on Monday night.

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