Grandfather reveals his son-in-law and his two granddaughters, aged 13 and 14, hid in a closet after the Boulder gunman opened fire when he was getting the COVID vaccine
- A grandfather identified only as Steven described moment his son-in-law and two granddaughters hid in a closet when a gunman opened fire on King Soopers
- He said his teen granddaughters, 13 and 14, were with their dad inside the store when the gunman entered and opened fire on shoppers, killing 10 on Monday
- Steven said the trio hid in a coat closet for an hour until they were able to escape outside the back of the business when police officers arrived to the scene
- Officer Eric Talley, 51, was identified as one of the victims late Monday night
- Authorities have not identified the other nine victims or the suspected gunman
A grandfather described the 'traumatizing' moment his son-in-law and two granddaughters hid in a closet when a gunman opened fire on a grocery store in Boulder, killing 10 people on Monday.
The granddad, who identified himself as Steven, told NBC that his two teen granddaughters were with their dad inside the King Soopers store when the gunman entered.
'There was shooting, and he saw it and got the girls down. They ran and hid upstairs in a coat closet for an hour, in the coats,' Steven said.
Steven said his son-in-law was in the King Soopers' pharmacy to get the COVID vaccine with his granddaughters, aged 13 and 14, when the shots went off.
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The granddad, who identified himself as Steven (left), told NBC that his two teen granddaughters were with their dad inside the King Soopers store when the gunman entered. He said they hid in a closet of the supermarket for an hour
Steven said the trio escaped through the back of the business (pictured) when police officers arrived to the scene
'They were communicating with my daughter through his phone, texting, and then the cops came in through the roof and were protecting them,' Steven said.
Steven said the trio escaped through the back of the business. He explained that the incident was 'traumatizing for them'.
'I'm really concerned for their mental and emotional health. But they're great kids, and they're super solid and they have good parents. But this is going to be a hurdle to get over,' he added.
Steven also called for better gun control laws, saying: 'This has got to stop. Every week in the United States there's a shooting. Now it's our turn. And that should never be repeated anywhere.'
The gunman killed 10 people, including Boulder police officer Eric Talley, 51, at the King Soopers grocery store on Monday afternoon.
Talley, a father-of-seven, was the first to respond to the scene, authorities said.
Police arrested a suspect, but didn't reveal his name or any details about the shooting at an evening news conference where Boulder police Chief Maris Herold fought back tears.
Talley had been with Boulder police since 2010, Herold said. He went to the store after a call about shots fired and someone carrying a rifle, she said.
Healthcare workers were rushed out of the King Soopers grocery store after a gunman opened fire inside
Shoppers held hands as they were evacuated from the supermarket by police officers Monday afternoon
Investigators had just begun sorting through evidence and witness interviews and didn't have details on a motive for the shooting at the King Soopers store in Boulder, which is about 25 miles northwest of Denver and home to the University of Colorado, said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
'This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County,' Dougherty said. 'These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice.'
Dougherty said of Talley: 'He was by all accounts one of the outstanding officers of the Boulder Police Department, and his life was cut too short.'
The attack was the seventh mass killing this year in the US, following the March 16 shooting that left eight people dead at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
A gunman killed 10 people, including Boulder Officer Eric Talley (pictured), at a grocery store in Colorado on Monday
It follows a lull in mass killings during the pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than a decade, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter.
Identities of the other nine victims were not disclosed Monday night as police were still notifying their family members.
Matthew Kirsch, the acting US attorney for Colorado, pledged that 'the full weight of federal law enforcement' will support the investigation.
He said investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the crime scene, along with FBI agents.
Officers had escorted a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs but authorities would not say if he was the suspect.
They did say the suspect was receiving medical care and was the only person injured who did not die.
The hospital will not release any further information on the patient, said Rich Sheehan, spokesman for Boulder Community Health, which operates the facility.
Dean Schiller told The Associated Press that he had just left the supermarket when he heard gunshots and saw three people lying face down, two in the parking lot and one near the doorway. He said he 'couldn't tell if they were breathing'.
A shirtless man with blood running down his leg was escorted out of the store in handcuffs by two police officers, a live TV feed showed. Authorities have not confirmed if this man is the suspect they have in custody
Video posted on YouTube showed one person on the floor inside the store and two more outside on the ground. What sounds like two gunshots are also heard at the beginning of the video.
Law enforcement vehicles and officers massed outside the store, including SWAT teams, and at least three helicopters landed on the roof. Some windows at the front of the store were broken.
At one point, authorities said over a loudspeaker that the building was surrounded and that 'you need to surrender'.
Sarah Moonshadow told the Denver Post that two shots rang out just after she and her son, Nicolas Edwards, finished buying strawberries. She said she told her son to get down and then 'we just ran'.
Once they got outside, she said they saw a body in the parking lot. Edwards said police were speeding into the lot and pulled up next to the body.
'I knew we couldn't do anything for the guy,' he said. 'We had to go.'
James Bentz told the Post that he was in the meat section when he heard what he thought was a misfire, then a series of pops.
'I was then at the front of a stampede,' he said.
Bentz said he jumped off a loading dock out back to escape and that younger people were helping older people off of it.
Colorado Gov Jared Polis tweeted a statement that his 'heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community'.
In a statement, the King Soopers chain offered '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'.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtOTM5MTk2MS9HcmFuZGRhZC1kZXNjcmliZXMtc29uLWxhdy1oaWQtY2xvc2V0LUJvdWxkZXItZ3VubWFuLW9wZW5lZC1maXJlLmh0bWzSAXpodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTkzOTE5NjEvYW1wL0dyYW5kZGFkLWRlc2NyaWJlcy1zb24tbGF3LWhpZC1jbG9zZXQtQm91bGRlci1ndW5tYW4tb3BlbmVkLWZpcmUuaHRtbA?oc=5
2021-03-23 06:04:08Z
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