Officer killed in King Soopers mass shooting was father of 7
Officer Eric Talley was among the 10 people who were killed in a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday afternoon, the Boulder Police Department said.
Talley, 51, had been with the department since 2010 and was the first officer to arrive at the scene at 3600 Table Mesa Drive, where he was fatally shot, Boulder police Chief Maris Herold said.
Talley’s father, Homer Talley, told 9News that his son was a father of seven, the oldest of whom is 20 years old.
“Didn’t surprise me he was the first one there,” Homer Talley told the station.
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Homer Talley added that his son was 40 years old when he started with the police force and that he was working to become a drone operator because he thought it would be safer.
“He had a great sense of humor, he was a prankster,” Homer Talley said. “He loved his family more than anything.”
Eric Talley became the sixth Boulder officer to be killed in the line of duty.
The last Boulder officer to be killed in the line of duty was officer Beth Haynes in 1994 when she responded to a domestic disturbance call.
A procession led by several metro-area law enforcement agencies was held for Talley on Monday night.
More related coverage:
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