Boulder shooting witnesses recount supermarket shooting: ‘He just came in and started shooting’
A gunman killed 10 people, including the law enforcement officer who was first on-scene, at a Colorado grocery store Monday, and those who were able to make it out of the King Soopers grocery store described a chaotic scene as people ran for their lives.
“He just came in and started shooting,” a witness who asked to remain anonymous told the Denver Post, and his roommate, who wasn’t identified, said the gunman “let off a couple of shots, then was silent, and then he let off a couple more. He wasn’t spraying.”
Another witness, Ryan Borowski, said he went to the store to buy some ice cream, but once inside, he went down a different aisle after changing his mind. It was then he heard the first gunshots.
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“I was going to get a Ben & Jerry’s, and that was on the east side of the store, and I walked in on the west side. And I changed my mind, decided not to, went down a different aisle and pretty much the moment after I made that decision, I heard the first two shots,” he said on CNN. “By the third shot, I was running with everyone else toward the back.”
Boulder Police Department commander Kerry Yamaguchi speaks to the media as police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Another witness, who was only identified as David, said he was picking up sushi at the store and heard the gunshots ring out.
“I knew every gunshot that was shot went into somebody,” he told Fox 31 Denver. “I could hear … I could tell when a gunshot doesn’t ricochet, but I also can tell when a gunshot goes into somebody.”
Another witness, Steven McHugh, said his son-in-law and his two teenage granddaughters were in the grocery store while their father received a COVID-19 vaccination, adding that his family had witnessed people get shot, but they managed to hide in a closet until police rescued them.
Police officers check cars as they respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
“They’re in seventh and eighth grade,” he said of his granddaughters’ experience. “This is completely fricking terrifying. This is unacceptable.”
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Boulder Police Chief Maris Harold called Talley’s actions “heroic.”
“It seemed like all of us had imagined we’d be in a situation like this at some point in our lives,” said James Bentz, another witness.
Police officers lead a group of King Soopers employees away from an active shooting at the grocery store on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers stand outside a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder where ten people were killed in a shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty addresses the press regarding the shooting at King Soopers in Boulder. (Video by Michael Ciaglo)
Police officers prepare to drape an American flag over the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley at the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers stand outside a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder where ten people were killed in a shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
A woman consoles a King Soopers pharmacy technician after a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Police officers respond to a mass shooting at a King Soopers on Monday in Boulder.
Police officers descend from the King Soopers roof as they respond to a shooting at the grocery store on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
A Police officer hugs a fellow officer as they respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)