Multiple dead in shooting at Colorado supermarket

By Veronica Rocha, Elise Hammond, Joshua Berlinger and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT) March 23, 2021
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8:37 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Colorado incident is seventh mass shooting in US in past 7 days

Monday's mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, comes less than a week after eight people were killed in a series of attacks on spas in Atlanta.

The two incidents are likely to spur discussion about gun control legislation in the United States, where firearm deaths are tragically common. They are also among at least seven mass shootings in the past week across the US -- including three incidents on Saturday alone.

  1. Atlanta, March 16: Eight people, including six Asian women, were killed when a White gunman stormed three spas, police said.
  2. Stockton, California, March 17: Five people who were preparing a vigil in Stockton, in California's Central Valley, were shot in a drive-by shooting, the San Joaquin Sheriff's Department said. None had life-threatening injuries.
  3. Gresham, Oregon, March 18: Four victims were taken to the hospital after a shooting in the city east of Portland, police said in an initial report on Twitter.
  4. Houston, March 20: Five people were shot after a disturbance inside a club, according to police. One was in critical condition after being shot in the neck, the rest were in stable condition, according to CNN affiliate KPRC.
  5. Dallas, March 20: Eight people were shot by an unknown assailant, one of whom died, according to police.
  6. Philadelphia, March 20: One person was killed and another five were injured during a shooting at an illegal party, CNN affiliate KYW reported. "There were at least 150 people in there that fled and believed they had to flee for their lives,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
  7. Boulder, Colorado, March 22: Ten people, including a Boulder police officer, were killed in a shooting at the King Soopers supermarket, according to police.

It's unclear how this number of mass shootings -- in which at least four people were shot -- compares to an average week in the US.

Though some official gun violence data is available, the US federal government does not have a centralized system or database to track firearm incidents and mass shootings nationwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks some gun violence data, nearly 40,000 people were killed in incidents involving firearms in 2019.

So far this year, there have been at least six mass shootings with four or more killed, including those in Atlanta and Boulder.

These are the other four:

  1. Jan. 9: Five killed in shooting spree in Evanston, Illinois, according to CNN affiliate WLS.
  2. Jan. 24: Five people shot dead in Indianapolis, Indiana, according to police.
  3. Feb. 2: Six people killed in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
  4. March 13: Four killed in dispute over stimulus check in Indianapolis.
2:21 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Slain police officer Eric Talley was a father of 7 who "loved his family more than anything," his dad says

From CNN's Joe Sutton and Jennifer Feldman

Police officer Eric Talley.
Police officer Eric Talley. Source: Boulder Police Department

The father of slain Boulder police officer Eric Talley said he was not surprised his son was the first officer to arrive on the scene of a mass shooting on Monday in Boulder, Colorado.

“Didn’t surprise me he was the first one there,” Homer Talley said in a phone interview with CNN affiliate KUSA.

Eric Talley, 51, was among 10 people killed when a gunman attacked the King Soopers grocery store. Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said his actions were "nothing short of heroic." Herold said Talley had been an officer with the Boulder Police Department since 2010.

Homer Talley said his son was a father of seven children. The eldest is age 20.

“He loved his family more than anything,” his father said.  

Homer Talley described his son as a "prankster" who "had a great sense of humor." He also said Eric Talley was working to become a drone operator because he thought it would be safer.

2:02 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Survivor recounts harrowing scene as he and other customers ran for their lives

A survivor of Monday's mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado said he feels a "profound sense of luckiness."

Ryan Borowski told CNN's Don Lemon he was still processing what happened. He just went to the grocery store to buy some ice cream, he said. Borowski said he changed his mind at the last minute and went down a different aisle. He then heard the first shots, after which he started running to the back of the store.

He and several others rushed out of the store through the back, telling employees who had no idea what was going on: "Gun, gun, gun. Run, run, run."

Watch his interview:

12:55 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Colorado sports teams react to the shooting

From CNN's Jill Martin

Colorado's five most prominent sports teams -- the NFL's Denver Broncos, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, the MLB's Colorado Rockies and the MLS' Colorado Rapids -- issued statements reacting to Monday's shooting in Boulder that left at least 10 people dead.

12:44 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Colorado governor says "today we saw the face of evil"

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said his state was mourning the "senseless killing" of 10 people who died in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder Monday.

“Today we saw the face of evil. I am grieving with my community and all Coloradans,” the governor said.

Polis posted his statement to Twitter. Read it here:

2:12 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says "it's beyond time for our leaders to take action" on gun control

From CNN's Dianne Gallagher and Joe Sutton 

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is seen before her husband Sen. Mark Kelly was sworn into Senate in the Capitol on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. 
Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is seen before her husband Sen. Mark Kelly was sworn into Senate in the Capitol on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.  Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a gun control advocate and mass shooting survivor, said Monday's shooting in Colorado was yet another reminder that "It’s beyond time for our leaders to take action" to address gun control.

"This is not normal, and it doesn't have to be this way," she said in a statement.

Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 when a gunman opened fire at an event in Tuscon, Arizona, while the former US Representative was speaking with her constituents. Giffords survived, but six people were killed.

"This is an especially personal tragedy for me. I survived a shooting at a grocery store, in a tragedy that devastated my beloved community of Tucson. It’s been 10 years, and countless American communities have had to face something similar," she said. "Today it's a tragedy in Boulder, Colorado. This past weekend it was a house party in Philadelphia. And last week it was an armed attack on Asian American women in the Atlanta area."
11:37 p.m. ET, March 22, 2021

Investigation into Colorado shooting will take at least 5 days, police chief says

The investigation into Monday's shooting at the King Soopers supermarket in Boulder was “very complex,” and would take no less than five days to complete, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said.

Ten people, including Boulder police officer Eric Talley, 51, were killed in the shooting, according to police. The suspect was taken into custody and is being treated for injuries, officials said.

Michael Dougherty, district attorney for Boulder County, said local, state, and federal partners will share in the investigation as well as prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office.

Dougherty promised the families of the victims that he would do everything he could "to get justice in this case."

"We're going to go all out to ensure the right result is reached," he said.

Acting US Attorney for the District of Colorado Matthew Kirsch said Dougherty would be supported by "the full weight of federal law enforcement."

12:27 a.m. ET, March 23, 2021

Slain police officer Eric Talley was one of Boulder's most "outstanding officers"

Police officer Eric Talley.
Police officer Eric Talley. Source: Boulder Police Department

Police officer Eric Talley, who was killed in the shooting at the King Soopers supermarket, was "by all accounts, one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department," Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

"His life was cut far too short," he said.

Talley, 51, had been with the department since 2010, serving in numerous roles, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. He was the first officer on the scene at the shooting, and his actions were "nothing short of heroic," Herold said.