What We Know About The Shooting Victims In Boulder, Colorado

Police have identified the 10 victims who died after a gunman went on a shooting rampage in a crowded supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. The victims include three employees at the King Soopers grocery and a 51-year-old police officer who responded to the scene of the attack.

Wednesday, March 24th 2021, 11:54 am

By: CBS News


Police have identified the 10 victims who died after a gunman went on a shooting rampage in a crowded supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. The victims include three employees at the King Soopers grocery and a 51-year-old police officer who responded to the scene of the attack.

The 21-year-old suspect was taken into custody Monday and has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. Police said the suspect was injured by gunfire and hospitalized in stable condition.

President Joe Biden extended his condolences to the families of the victims. "Ten lives have been lost and more families have been shattered by gun violence in the state of Colorado," Mr. Biden said Tuesday.

Here's what we know about the victims of the mass shooting:

Eric Talley, 51 

Talley, an 11-year veteran with the Boulder Police Department, rushed to the scene of the shooting at the grocery store, where he was fatally shot.

Talley was a father of seven and loved his community, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said in a news conference. Herold called his efforts at the shooting "heroic" and said, "he's everything that policing deserves and needs."

His sister, Kirstin, remembered her brother on Twitter: "My heart is broken. 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."

At 40, Talley quit his computing job and joined the Boulder Police Department. "He felt a higher calling," Herold said. He's remembered as a cop who saved lives, including a mother duck and her ducklings trapped in a drainage ditch.

After Talley's death, residents and first responders lined the streets in Boulder for the procession of his body. Others in the community paid their respects with a makeshift memorial, bringing flowers and signs to his car outside of the Boulder Police Department.

President Joe Biden praised Talley's courage in a speech at the White House on Tuesday.

"You know when he pinned on that badge yesterday morning, he didn't know what the day would bring," Mr. Biden said. "He thought he'd be coming home to his family and his seven children. When the moment to act came, Officer Talley did not hesitate in his duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in his effort to save lives. That's the definition of an American hero."

Rikki Olds, 25 

Olds, who worked as a manager at the King Soopers grocery, was remembered by her family as a loving, hard-working person who was "truly one of a kind." Her uncle, Robert, issued a statement Tuesday saying "no one could replace the happiness" she brought her family.

"Our family is suffering a great loss, and we will get through this together one day at a time," he said in a statement. "On behalf of our family, thank you for honoring Rikki's legacy and the light she was in this world. Our hearts go out to the other victims' families who are going through the same grief we are."

Olds was dedicated to her career, Robert said, and she "strived to be the best manager she could be to her work family."

Kevin Mahoney, 61

Mahoney's daughter, Erika, mourned her father on Twitter, saying he "represented all things love."

"I'm so thankful he could walk me down the aisle last summer," she wrote Tuesday. "I am now pregnant. I know he wants me to be strong for his granddaughter. I love you forever Dad. You are always with me."


Lynn Murray, 62

Murray, a retired mother of two and an Instacart employee, was working when she was killed at the grocery store. The company's founder and CEO, Apoorva Mehta, sent condolences to Murray's family. 

"Violence of any kind has no place in our society, and our teams are working with law enforcement and the King Soopers team to assist in any way we can," Mehta said. "We've reached out to the shopper's family to offer our support and resources during this unimaginably difficult time."

Hope Cotten, a family friend of Murray, told CBS Evening News about the last time she saw Murray, just minutes before the shooting started. They were laughing about "cauliflower and whatever else" before she exited the store. When her little sister called her about the shooting, she realized Murray was still inside. 

"I just want Lynn's legacy to not be this moment, none of these people," said Cotten. 

Denny Stong, 20

Stong was paying for his lunch when the shooting broke out, his friend, Dean Schiller, told CBS News. Schiller was live streaming from inside the grocery store and didn't know his friend would be among the victims.

At 20, Stong was the youngest victim of the shooting. 

"He was a really smart kid," Schiller said. "He was trying to be an airline pilot who wanted to be a commercial airline pilot - that was his dream."

Teri Leiker, 51 

Leiker worked at the King Soopers grocery store for 31 years before her death. She was an avid sports fan and enjoyed being with University of Colorado fans at sporting events. 

A friend told CBS Denver she was one of the "most innocent, caring and loving" individuals they'd ever met. 

Leiker was also a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, who expressed heartbreak over her loss. 

"As the union for the brave Colorado grocery workers caught in the crossfire of this tragic shooting, UFCW is heartbroken and our prayers are with our members, their families, and the loved ones of all the victims," a representative for United Food and Commercial Workers Union stated Tuesday. 

Tralona Bartkowiak, 49

Bartkowiak moved to Colorado over a decade ago to manage her family's company. Her friends and family remembered her as a gifted artist who always had a smile on her face.

"Every time you saw her, she had a smile on her face," her cousin, David, told CBS Los Angeles. "I don't think I ever saw her angry."

David said she grew up with him in Southern California, where she helped raise him. "It's just really sad that she's gone," David said. "It's unbelievable. She had the biggest heart. She's the most loving person I've ever met in my life, and it's just so devastating."

After learning her car was parked at the scene of the shooting, he watched hours of news coverage for updates on his cousin.

He later found out about her death from Bartkowiak's mother. But late that night, David received a phone call from her mother, who told him about her death. "She was the backbone of this family," he said. "She's the backbone of that company."

Jody Waters, 65 

Waters, a longtime Boulder resident, worked at a clothing boutique in Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, the Denver Post reported

"Jody was a beautiful soul with a warm and loving heart, a mother and grandmother and she will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know her. We are so sad," her former colleagues wrote in a Facebook post. 

Neven Stanisic, 23

For high school, Neven attended Alameda International Jr./Sr. High School in Lakewood from 2012 through his graduation in May 2016, according to CBS Denver. 

"Jeffco Public Schools and the Board of Education are saddened by the tragic event that took place in Boulder," said his school district. "We share the heartbreak of the families, coworkers, and friends of the victims and of the Colorado community that again faces another senseless act of violence."

Suzanne Fountain, 59

Fountain was an actress who worked with the Denver Center for Performing Arts. 

"We are heartbroken by the senseless violence in Boulder yesterday," the Center tweeted. "We were especially saddened to learn of the death of Suzanne Fountain, an actress who appeared with our own DCPA Theatre Company. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy."

Justin Carissimo and Jonathan Vigliotti contributed reporting.


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