The hero cop who was one of 10 people gunned down by a mass shooter at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado Monday afternoon was identified by law enforcement officials as Officer Eric Talley, a seasoned cop and father of seven.
Talley, who had served with Boulder Police since 2010, was one of the first officers to respond to the shooting at a King Soopers store in the city, police chief Maris Herold said at a news conference Monday night.
“He was, in all probability, one of the excellent officers in the Boulder Police Department and his life was cut way too short,” said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty during the briefing.
Talley’s father, Homer Talley, told Denver7 that his son fathered seven children and that his youngest was 7 years old.
“He took his job as a police officer very seriously,” said the father. “He loved his children and his family more than anything.”
His father added that when Talley became a police officer at the age of 40, he “was looking for a job to keep himself off the front line.
“He didn’t want his family to go through something like that and he believed in Jesus Christ,” Homer Talley told the news channel.
The murdered officer had held “countless roles” since joining the department, Herold said.
After his death was announced, a police procession was held in his honor, with throngs of police officers lining the street to salute an ambulance with his body.
The suspect in Monday’s rampage was taken into custody. None of the remaining nine victims were immediately identified.
“My heart goes out to the victims of this incident. And I’m grateful for the policemen who responded, ”Herold said, choking at times during the briefing.
“And I’m so sorry for the loss of Agent Talley.”