The hero policeman, one of 10 people shot by a mass shooter at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday afternoon, was identified by police officers as Officer Eric Talley, a veteran police officer and father of seven children.
Talley, who has worked at the Boulder Police Department since 2010, was one of the first police officers to respond to the shooting at a King Soopers store in the city, Police Chief Maris Herold said at a news conference late on Monday.
“He was, by all accounts, one of the most prominent officers in the Boulder Police Department and his life was cut short very quickly,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the interview.
Talley’s father, Homer Talley, told Denver7 that his son was the father of seven children, the youngest of whom 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 age 40, “he was looking for a job to stay out of the front line.
“He didn’t want his family to go through something like this and he believed in Jesus Christ,” said Homer Talley to the news station.
The murdered officer had served “several functions” since joining the department, said Herold.
After his death was announced, a police procession was held in his honor, with a crowd of police lining the street to greet an ambulance carrying his body.
The suspect in Monday’s unrest was taken into custody. None of the other nine victims was immediately identified.
“My heart is with the victims of this incident. And I am grateful for the policemen who responded, ”said Herold, sometimes choking during instruction.
“And I’m really sorry for the loss of Officer Talley.”