Four years following the mass shooting at a Boulder King Soopers — and six months after the shooter was convicted — the community still mourns the 10 lives lost.

“The pain is still fresh,” Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett told The Denver Gazette Saturday at the city’s annual Day of Remembrance for the shooting, which happened on March 22, 2021. 

The Boulder community gathered to celebrate the lives of Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.

This year’s memorial gathering was at the The Museum of Boulder, nestled in the heart of the city off of Broadway. This year, the atmosphere was different, according to Assistant City Manager Pam Davis.

Since the last anniversary, last September 23, the shooter, Ahmad Alissa, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for each of the 10 murder victims after being found guilty on all 55 counts against him.

He will serve 10 life sentences plus 1,334 years for the lesser charges of attempted murder, assault and possession of illegal magazines.

“Before the trial was complete, that was the storm cloud hanging over these remembrance activities,” Davis said. “We were focusing on remembering those we lost and the strength of our own community. At the same time, in the back of our minds, we had this unresolved court case.”

She continued: “Now that the legal proceeding portion is complete, now is the opportunity for us to take a breath, reflect and celebrate without having the added energy and added constraint that comes with so many members of our community being involved in a trial.”

Saturday’s event included speeches from city officials like Mayor Brockett and District Attorney Michael Dougherty — who prosecuted the case. 

Family members of the 10 victims also spoke to the crowd of hundreds spilling out the museum entryway. 

“I had hope that after this trial, everybody has gotten those thoughts of hatred out of our system and we can move on to love,” Phi Bernier, the partner of one of the victims, Suzanne Fountain, said before performing a song for the crowd. 

Robert Olds, Rikki Olds’ uncle, thanked the District Attorney’s Office for its work and finally bringing the case to an end.

“Because of (the district attorney’s work), my words today aren’t going to have the anger. They aren’t going to have the hatred,” Olds said. “I can now take a breath. I can now smile. I can now laugh because that fight is over.”

Olds called the trial his last fight for Rikki. 

Dougherty, too, reflected on the trial for the first time since it ended in September.

“From last year to this year, there’s been one significant change: we secured justice at the trial,” Dougherty said.

Dougherty went on to note how close the community was during the trial and the years after the shooting.

“When a horrific and evil act is committed, we should always look at the response that comes. It’s not the evil act of one person that defines us as a community and society, but the response of that community in the face of terror and tragedy,” Dougherty said.

He spoke of the “incredible courage” that the community had during the shooting inside of the store on Table Mesa Drive, with some people surviving due to the acts of others.

He spoke of the response of the family members, coming together and becoming friends in the face of loss. 

He spoke of the jurors and community members that came to the trail and worked to make sure justice was served.

“It really felt like we had a tremendous response all throughout and during the trial,” he said. “It always felt like it was all of us together as a community.”

“The experience of the last four years have shown how strong the ties are in the community,” Brockett told The Denver Gazette before the memorial. “The outpouring of love and assistance was just truly extraordinary. We really showed who we were as a community, and I’m very proud to be a resident of the City of Boulder.”

But the work isn’t over following the conviction, community members said. 

“We have been trying to change the laws that allowed the shooter to purchase an assault weapon just days before the shooting,” Brockett said.

“When this happened, it wasn’t (Alissa) that I hated; it was society,” Bernier said. “Now, we have a mass murder every third day. If it’s not 10 people it’s like, ‘Oh well, it’s just a killing. No big deal.'”

Furthermore, the city is working on creating a memorial on city property in the next year — giving a permanent place to honor the victims and continue to hold the yearly memorial gathering.