Barely a week after eight people were reportedly killed in three metro Atlanta spa shootings, 10 more people, including a police officer, have been killed at a Colorado grocery store, reports have said.
A suspect who has not been publicly identified was however arrested by the Colorado police on suspicion of the killings.
According to reports, the man opened fire at a King Soopers outlet in Boulder, about 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Denver, in the late afternoon of Monday (American time), sending panicky shoppers and employees scurrying for cover as hundreds of police officers converged on the area.
The suspect was said to be armed with a rifle and acted alone, according to reports.
“We were at the checkout, and shots just started going off,” said a 42-year-old Sarah Moonshadow and a shopper who was in the store with her adult son, Nicholas, when the gunfire began.
“And I said, ‘Nicholas get down.’ And Nicholas ducked. And we just started listening and there, just repetitive shots … and I just said, ‘Nicholas, run.’”
Moonshadow said she tried to attend to a victim she saw lying on the pavement just outside the store, but her son pulled her away, telling her, ‘We have to go.’” The woman broke down in sobs recounting their ordeal, adding, “I couldn’t help anybody.”
Boulder Police Chief, Maris Herold, her voice choking with emotion, said 10 people perished at the scene. Among them was 51-year-old officer Eric Talley, an 11-year veteran of the Boulder police force, who Herold said was the first to arrive at the store. Talley had seven children and had been looking for a less dangerous job, according to his father.
Officer Eric Talley had been with the Boulder Police Department since 2010. He was the first to respond to the scene of the mass shooting at King Soopers when he was shot and killed. He leaves behind seven children, according to his father, Homer Talley. https://t.co/2VVIUBbVJy pic.twitter.com/eEVrqgmI1t
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) March 23, 2021
Police said the accused gunman was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries he sustained in the violence but did not explain how he was hurt. There was no word on when he might face an initial court appearance.
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