The Store Manager, P.Officer W/7 Children, Worker and Shoppers Perished (Meet Them Here)
A police officer, a store manager and people shopping for food: the victims of the shooting rampage in Boulder, Colorado have nothing in common except that they were all buying groceries on Monday afternoon.
They range in age from 20 to 65.
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| Mr Stong was the youngest of the victims.(Pic by Go Fund Me) |
Denny Stong, 20
A Facebook profile for Mr Stong says that he lived in Boulder and began working for the King Soopers grocery store in December 2018.
"I can't stay home. I am a grocery store worker," he wrote on his Facebook profile picture.
Mr Strong described himself as a fan of planes, bikes and motorcycles.
On 8 March, he asked people to celebrate his birthday by donating to a pro-gun rights charity.
"He did nothing wrong and deserved this in no way at all. He made no choice that led to this," a friend wrote on a verified GoFundMe page to raise money for his family.
"He simply showed up to work, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
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"I wish I could stand here and promise that the pain will heal quickly," Colorado Governor Jared Polis said during a news conference on Tuesday.
"But it won't... At times like this, it's hard to see the light that shines through the darkness."
Here's what we know about the victims so far.
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| Reuters |
Eric Talley, 51
Officer Talley, a father of seven children, joined the police force at the age of 40 after leaving a job in IT.
The 10-year police veteran "died charging into the line of fire to save people who were simply trying to live their lives and go food shopping," said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
In an emotional news conference, his fellow officers shared how, when one of Officer Talley's children swallowed a coin, another was able to perform CPR after learning the technique from his dad. The child was given a "life-saver" award from the Boulder Police Department a few weeks ago for his efforts.
"He didn't have to go into policing. He had a profession before this, but he felt a higher calling. And he loved this community," said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold.
"And he's everything that policing deserves and needs. 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."
"He was looking for a job to keep himself off of the front lines and was learning to be a drone operator," said his father Homer Talley.
President Joe Biden paid tribute to the fallen policeman, saying: "Officer Talley did not hesitate in his duty, making the ultimate sacrifice in order to save lives. That's the definition of an American hero."
FACEBOOKRikki Olds, 25
Rikki Olds worked as a manager for supermarket chain King Soopers, according to a Facebook profile. She went to high school in Lafayette, Colorado, and attended the nearby Front Range Community College.
Her uncle, Bob Olds, told CNN that she was raised by her grandparents.
"Rikki baby, you were taken too soon. I miss you dearly," her boyfriend Jordan Arthur posted on Facebook the day after her death.
"Thank you everyone for all your prayers but the Lord got a beautiful young angel yesterday," her aunt posted online.
Teri Leiker, 51
Teri Leiker had worked at the King Soopers grocery store for 30 years, her friend Lexi Knutson told Reuters.
"She loved going to work and enjoyed everything about being there," Ms Knutson said, adding Ms Leiker was dating a colleague who survived the attack.
"Her boyfriend and her had been good friends and began dating in the fall of 2019. He was working yesterday too. He is alive."
Ms Knutson said Ms Leiker may have got her job through a programme for people with special needs.
Kevin Mahoney, 61
Kevin Mahoney's death was confirmed on Twitter by his daughter, who said her father died while shopping in their hometown of Boulder.
"My dad represents all things Love. I'm so thankful he could walk me down the aisle last summer," wrote Erika Mahoney, as she shared photos from her wedding.
"I am now pregnant. I know he wants me to be strong for his granddaughter," she added.
Tralona Bartkowiak, who was known to her friends as Lonna, ran a clothing shop in Boulder called Umba Love.
"We put the fun in functional," the store wrote on Facebook, adding that the shop was founded by Ms Bartkowiak and her sister, Lisa Noble, after a trip to Bali.
"Fuelled by their passion for travel, music, and art, the two of them began selling clothing at music venues, festivals, and local fairs, and Umba came to be."
Neven Stanisic, 23
Mr Stanisic worked as a repairman and had been called to the store to fix a broken coffee machine, the reverend at his family's church told local media.
His family came to the US in the 1990s to escape the civil war in Bosnia.
"They avoided one tragedy by coming here, but now this tragedy struck them," said Rev Radovan Petrovic of the St John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church in Lakewood, Colorado.
"We've known the family ever since we became their spiritual father and mother here," Rev Petrovic's wife told the Denver Post.
"He was a very good, shy, hardworking boy and one of those kiddos who listened to his parents the best."
Suzanne Fountain, 59
Mrs Fountain worked in a live music venue in Boulder called eTown Hall, according to the Washington Post.
"She was one of the kindest people I've ever known," long-time friend Helen Forster, who owns the venue with her husband, Nick, told the newspaper.
"Just in the way she dealt with people and in the way that she was always fair and calm and reassuring. She just was a joy to be around."
The venue confirmed the death of their house manager, writing on Facebook that she "was a bright light to all she met, and we were proud to have her represent eTown in our community as she welcomed people into our space hundreds and hundreds of times".
"This is an unfathomable loss for all of us and a painful reminder that our society can and must do a better job to prevent these acts of violence from becoming normalised in our culture."
Lynn Murray, 62đŸŒ¹ Jody Waters, 65.đŸŒ¹
No reports have yet emerged for two of the victims.
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