“It’s sad but joyful that we can honor his life,” Crystal Hootman told CNN. “I was talking to another resident and we both bought at the grocery store. I hope, out of sadness, Boulder becomes an even better place to live,” he said.
Talley’s body was taken to a funeral home in nearby Aurora, escorted by a procession of police and first responders.
At the King Soopers store, where the shooting took place, visitors left flowers and paid tribute to the ten people who died. Church chaplains were available for those in need, as was Cubby, a golden retriever of emotional support.
Monday’s attack began with a gunman shooting a man in the parking lot before entering the grocery store and opening fire. Employees and customers tried to flee as the gunman walked the store aisles, according to witnesses and a sworn statement of arrest.
The victims were: Talley, 51; store manager Rikki Olds, 25; store employee Denny Stong, 20; store employee Teri Leiker, 51; Neven Stanisic, 23; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver said Wednesday he spoke with President Joe Biden, who expressed his condolences and sympathy.
“Of course, the conversation focused on what we can do to make sure this never happens in another community in our country, and so we explored a little bit,” the mayor told Pamela Brown of the chain CNN. “The president expressed regret that when the first federal assault weapons ban was passed in 1994, it would take a ten-year sunset to achieve that.
“He further regretted that the sunset occurred and that the ban expired. We then talked about what measures could be taken at the federal level to make sure things like this don’t happen in other communities.”
First armed court appearance
While the community mourned the loss, the alleged gunman is scheduled to hear charges at a hearing on Thursday.
It is unclear whether Alissa will be present, as a court document stated that she has the right to personally renounce her appearance. According to the statement, he will be informed of the charges he faces, his rights and the next court appointment.
“This appearance is expected to be the first court appearance in what will likely be a lengthy judicial process,” the statement said. The hearing will be publicly accessible online.
Investigators are working to gather a possible motive for the shooting, which has left questions about its location, according to a law enforcement official informed of the investigation. Alissa lives about 30 minutes from the store and there are other grocery stores closer to her residence.
The FBI is watching Alissa’s online activity and conducting interviews with friends and family, a law enforcement official told CNN, adding that Alissa had not been the subject of any FBI investigation. and that nothing in the federal system would have prevented him from buying a firearm.
Two store employees are remembered
He shared his favorite memory of Stong, a four-year-old close friend to whom he had sent a text message just an hour before the attack.
“Last year, on my birthday, she was one of the only people who gave me a birthday present, which made me feel very special,” Porter told Burnett. “He was very interested in aviation and that, so he brought his RC [radio controlled] the plane and he controlled it over the pond and did some really fun tricks with it. We were all laughing and having a great time. “
Porter said Stong was engaged in his work at the supermarket and had dreams of being a pilot.
“He was very passionate. Denny had a work ethic like no one I’ve ever met,” Porter said. “It’s not the most interesting job, but I really wanted to do it. I never heard him ever complain about having to go to work late or something. He just did what he could and he didn’t have no complaints “.
The uncle of 25-year-old store manager Rikki Olds, a victim of Monday’s shooting, spoke of his personality at a news conference Wednesday.
“Rikki was kind of a light to our family,” Robert Olds said. “When Rikki showed up at the house, we never knew what color her hair was going to have, we never knew what new tattoos she could have.
“But that was Rikki and Rikki lived life on Rikki’s terms, not anyone’s.”
Olds also said she “had dreams, had ambitions” and praised her as “a strong, independent young woman.” She planned to be a nurse, she said, but her attention became the store manager of King Soopers.
Olds said the outpouring of support has been “overwhelming,” adding that “it only shows how many lives Rikki touched,” he said.
“She was snoring when she laughed out loud and I will miss her a lot,” she said. “I will miss this personality of yours.”
CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz, Evan Perez, Konstantin Toropin, Jennifer Feldman, Amanda Jackson, Keith Allen and Amir Vera contributed to this report.