Slain Boulder Officer Loved His Family And Community: Chief

BOULDER, CO — Family members and colleagues remember Boulder police Officer Eric Talley as a generous man who cared for his loved ones as well as the city he swore to protect.

Talley was the first officer to arrive at a King Soopers grocery store Monday after a gunman opened fire inside. The 51-year-old officer was among 10 people fatally shot that day, according to the Boulder Police Department.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Maris Herold called Talley’s death heartbreaking. She recalled the father of seven and his family were in her office only two weeks ago to present an award to one of Talley’s sons for performing CPR he learned from his father to save the life of his little brother.

Herold said Talley was a “very kind man and he didn’t have to go into policing” but that he felt a higher calling to protect and serve the people of Boulder.

“He loved this community, and he’s everything that policing deserves and needs,” she said. “He cared about this community, he cared about Boulder Police Department, he cared about his family, and he was willing to die to protect others.”

Homer Talley, his father, told ABC News that his son was working in information technology when he decided to leave his job and pivot into policing at the age of 40. The change in careers was spurred by the death of a close friend in a DUI crash,The Washington Post reported.

He joined the department in 2010 and was recently training to become a drone operator to keep himself out of harm's way and spend more time with his family.

“He loved his kids and his family more than anything. … He didn't want to put his family through something like this,” Homer Talley said.

A woman who identified herself as Talley's younger sister went on Twitter to remember her brother, saying he always dreamed of being a pilot but that color blindness prevented him from getting a license.

“My heart is broken. I cannot explain how beautiful he was and what a devastating loss this is to so many,” she wrote. “Fly high my sweet brother … Soar.”

Talley is the seventh Boulder police officer to die in the line of duty, according to Mayor Sam Weaver. He said the officer’s actions that day helped prevent more lives from being lost and that his sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Weaver said Tuesday that the entire city of Boulder was grieving over the deaths of Talley and the nine other people who were killed Monday.

“There will be time to come to pursue justice, repair damage, seek answers and pursue remedies,” he said. “But today we remember, we appreciate and we honor the lives of those who were killed.”