BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold confirms that 10 people were killed at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday. Among the dead was Officer Eric Talley, who Herold said was the first officer to arrive on the scene.
No other victims were identified by law enforcement at a news conference as authorities work to notify families.
The shooting happened after 2:30 p.m. State law enforcement officials said when they arrived at the scene, a suspect opened fire on them.
WATCH LIVE:
ALERT: Active Shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa. AVOID THE AREA. PIO is en-route.
— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) March 22, 2021
Video from the scene showed one man with a bloody leg being led away from the store in handcuffs and being loaded into an ambulance. Police later confirmed the man is the suspect and the accused gunman.
Many police officers from different agencies responded to the scene and are telling people to avoid the area of the King Soopers.
. @boulderpolice say they are responding to an active shooter at the King Soopers on Table Mesa.
— Adi Guajardo (@AdiGTV) March 22, 2021
We are working to gather details.@DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/1HiqKyERJi
The department sent out an emergency notification for people in the area to shelter in place for a report of an armed, dangerous individual potentially connected to the King Soopers situation.
Andrew Hummel was in the store at the time of the shooting when he said he heard a loud bang and everyone began sprinting toward the back of the store. He was able to get out safely. He says he heard multiple gunshots while he was inside.
"I pray that everybody impacted by this is doing all right," Hummel said.
Hummel's friend and roommate, Mason, works at the King Soopers. He is also OK, but Hummel said his friend texted that he didn't know if he'd make it out alive.
“One of the biggest like scary texts he sent, he just said ‘I love you guys. Thank you for everything in case things go bad.’" Hummel said. "That was a really hard text, especially for me being in this situation. That was something I would never want to hear from any of my friends. Because I knew the seriousness of what was going on. It was horrifying. It was truly horrifying."
A law enforcement source told ABC News a suspect opened fire on them when they arrived at the scene.
Sarah Moonshadow and her 21-year-old son, Nick, heard the gunshots and got down. She lives just a mile away has been coming to the King Soopers daily. She said she heard multiple gunshots. The two started running to leave the store. On the way out, Moonshadow said, she saw an older man lying in the street. "There was a guy laying out in the street as soon as we got outside. And I started running toward him to try to help him, and my son said, ‘No, we can’t help him. We’ve gotta go.'"
She said she wanted to stop, but she needed to keep running because they were still too close, and they didn't know if the shooter was following them.
The FBI Denver said the Boulder Police Department has requested they assist with the investigation.
Following the shooting, King Soopers released the below statement:
We are horrified and deeply saddened by the senseless violence that occurred at our King Soopers store located on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, CO.
The entire King Soopers family offers our thoughts, prayers and support to our associates, customers, and the first responders who so bravely responded to this tragic situation.
We will continue to cooperate with local law enforcement and our store will remain closed during the police investigation.
To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are referring questions to the Boulder Police Department.
Gov. Jared Polis said in a tweet, "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 University of Colorado Boulder has canceled classes beginning at 5:30 p.m. or later due to the ongoing police situation.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed.
This story was first reported by KMGH in Denver, Colorado.
