Ten people were killed, including a police officer, in a shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colo. Monday afternoon, authorities say.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold confirmed the death toll during a press conference late Monday evening.
Herold identified the officer who was killed as 51-year-old Eric Talley, who had been with force since 2010.
“My heart goes out to the victims of this incident, and I’m grateful for the police officers that responded and I am so sorry about the loss of officer Talley, and again we will be here working night and day,” she said.
Herold said police have one suspect in custody, adding that she wanted to “reassure the community that they are safe.”
She said the Boulder Police will work with the coroner’s office “around the clock” to identify the other victims of the shooting at the King Soopers store.
“I know there are people out there waiting for an answer,” she said. “And I am very sympathetic to that, and we will work around the clock to get this accomplished.”
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said Boulder suffered a “terrible and horrific mass shooting.”
“I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice and do everything we must do to get justice in this case,” he said.
“In order for that to happen a painstaking investigation is already underway both at the crime scene and in interviews to make sure that we receive all of the accurate information.”
He said once that information has been secured, it will be shared with the public.
Dougherty confirmed the suspect was injured during the incident.
Herold said she expects the investigation to take up to five days to complete.
At an earlier press conference, Kelly McGannon, a spokesperson for King Soopers said their “hearts are broken over this senseless act of violence.”
“We are working in full cooperation with local law enforcement,” she said.
Just before 5 p.m. ET Monday afternoon, the police department issued an emergency alert, notifying the public of an “active shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa.”
Officers asked the public to avoid the area.
One witness told CBSN Denver that he heard “one loud bang.”
“I thought somebody just dropped something, an employee or something,” he told the outlet. “And then another, and then by the third one, everybody was running.”
The man said other people with him in the store walked in a single file line to the back of the building, where they found an employee who told them how to escape.
“It was just ‘run, get out of there, tell everybody to leave,’” the man said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted he was “closely watching unfolding events at King Soopers in Boulder.”
“My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy,” the tweet read.
In a tweet Monday evening, Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette said “our hearts go out to everyone in the Boulder area.”
“We can’t continue to live like this,” she wrote. “We have to do more to protect our communities from the constant threat of gun violence.”
“Enough is enough!”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter that the U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Colorado and “he will be kept up to date by his team as there are additional developments.”
— With files from the Associated Press
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