The Colorado police officer was the last of ten victims killed during Monday’s massacre at the King Soopers grocery store, the Boulder Police Department said on Friday.
Eric Talley led the team of officers into the store within 30 seconds of arriving at the scene, the police department said in a statement on Twitter while defending its response time to the deadly mass shooting.
‘We’ve seen comments from some in our community who questioned the response time of our officers Monday afternoon,’ the Boulder Police Department tweeted.
‘We think it’s important to share that Officer Talley led a contact team of officers into the store within 30 seconds of arriving on scene. Yes, 30 seconds.’
In another tweet, the department said: ‘The suspect then shot at officers, killing Officer Talley, and firing on officers until he was taken into custody. No other individuals were shot or killed after these brave officers engaged the suspect.’
Boulder police officer Eric Talley (pictured), 51, was shot dead while responding to a massacre at a King Soopers grocery store and Boulder police have now said he was the last person shot
The department defended its response time to the deadly mass shooting in a statement to Twitter
A woman who identified herself as Talley’s sister also responded to the department’s tweet, praising her big brother
In an earlier tweet, she had said: ‘Officer Eric Talley is my big brother. He died today in the Boulder shooting. My heart is broken’
Some Twitter users continued to questions how quickly the police department responded and if a faster response could have prevented more deaths.
One Twitter user asked: ‘I think the question was, how long from the 911 call to officers on scene?’
The department responded that it took ‘1 minute and 40 seconds from time of call to arrival.’
But that answer was not enough for one Twitter user, who asked: ‘Add 30 seconds after arrival so 2 minutes 10 seconds before entering store?’
‘Yes, you had one officer who rushed in, but then you let him and 9 other people bleed to death while trying to coordinate a giant SWAT for your down officer,’ claimed @AjaxAtax, another Twitter user.
The Twitter user continued: ’30 minutes of Rambo mode coordinating an attack, 20 of them AFTER SURRENDER.’
Twitter user @bullmaster123 defended the department for the time taken to coordinate after Talley had been shot.
‘So to all the people questioning the response time understand a couple things. The average response time is 15 mins officer Talley made it in 1:40,’ the tweet reads.
‘As for rushing in after Talley was down. You already had 1 officer down and unknown how many other officers.’
The department’s statement came after Twitter users questioned its response time to the deadly mass shooting, with some Twitter users not satisfied by the department’s answer
Other Twitter users defended the department’s response time and its coordination before entering the store after Officer Talley was shot
Statistics for the Boulder Police Department’s average response time were not readily available, however the Boulder Fire Department has noted that firefighters took an average of about 12 minutes and 30 seconds to respond to calls in 2020.
The average school shooting lasts 12 minutes and 30 seconds, while the average police response time was 18 minutes in 2016, according to the National Sheriff’s Association.
Others, however, commended the department for getting Talley and other officers to the store ‘in just minutes.’
‘That 911 call to the late Officer Eric Talley on scene at 200 seconds is very fast. Today, the public wants instant gratification, complains,’ tweeted @ROBERTBOYER1980.
‘Common sense: a deadly mass shooting changes quickly every second with many factor at play on scene. It will take time for some answers.’
Another tweeted: ‘He said above, 1 minute and 40 seconds from 911 to the parking lot which is an amazing response time if you have ever driven in Boulder.’
A woman who identified herself as Talley’s sister also responded to the department’s tweet, praising her big brother.
‘Because that’s my brother: Eric. Fast. He flew into that store with no thought but to protect. He FLEW. Thank you Boulder Police. Thank you,’ she tweeted.
In an earlier tweet, she had said: ‘Officer Eric Talley is my big brother. He died today in the Boulder shooting. My heart is broken.’
‘I cannot explain how beautiful he was and what a devastating loss this is to so many. Fly high my sweet brother. You always wanted to be a pilot (damn color blindness). Soar,’ she said.
He faces ten counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, but additional charges are expected to be filed in the next few weeks
Boulder police did not say precisely when the department received 911 calls but said in a press release that officers were dispatched to the scene around 2.40pm.
*Officers arrived on scene within minutes and immediately entered the store and engaged the suspect,’ the press release reads.
Cops said that the suspect, 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, was arrested in the store at 3.28pm.
According to a timeline published by the Denver Post, the shooting began in the front parking lot around 2.30pm.
The outlet reported that cops were dispatched three minutes later at 2.33pm and arrived at the scene at 2.35pm – entering the store at 2.37pm.
Alissa then allegedly fired at responding officers at 2.38pm with reports that Talley had been shot coming at 2.39pm, the Denver Post reported.
At 2.50pm, an armored vehicle was used to break down the store’s front windows with police using a sound system to order him to come out at 3pm.
SWAT teams entered the building to get Talley’s body at 3.22pm and make contact with the suspect at 3.27pm, reporting him in custody a minute later.
