Boulder shooting: Video captures huge procession of cars paying tribute to police officer Eric Talley

A huge police procession was held on Monday night after Boulder Police officer Eric Talley was the first victim named in the deadly mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket.

Talley, 51, was fatally shot alongside nine others at around 2:30pm after responding to reports of an armed man opening fire inside a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

Boulder Police chief Maris Herold confirmed that Talley was the first officer on the scene after quickly responding to the reports, and praised his actions in a press conference.

“I have to tell you the heroic action of this officer when he responded to the scene,” Ms Herold said on Monday evening.

“Officer Talley responded to the scene, was first on the scene, and he was fatally shot,” she continued, adding that he responded after “a phone call about a possible person with a patrol rifle.”

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Boulder County district attorney Michael Dougherty also paid tribute to Talley at the press conference, saying: “My work goes out to Eric Talley’s family, his loved ones and his colleagues.”

He added: “He was by all accounts, one of the outstanding officers of the police department and his life was cut for too short as he responded to the shooting that was taking place.

“I also want to stress how incredibly sorry I am for all the victims who were killed in case. These were people going about their day doing their job. Their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter.”

A huge police procession was then held at around 7:45pm on Monday, as emergency crews travelled alongside the ambulance transporting Talley’s body from the supermarket to a local funeral home.

Stunning footage captured from the event showed local officers and emergency crews saluting the passing ambulance as the fallen soldier was transported through the city.

Talley, who had been with the department since 2010, leaves behind a widow and seven children, the oldest of which is 20-years-old and the youngest just the age of 7, his father Homer Talley told KUSA after he was identified.

His father said that he was not surprised that Talley was the first at the scene, but revealed that he had been looking at changing careers to something safer, adding that he “loved his family more than anything.”

“He was looking for a job to keep himself off of the front lines and was learning to be a drone operator. He didn’t want to put his family through something like this,” he said.

Talley’s younger sister Kristen Stillwell also shared her grief in a Twitter post early Tuesday morning, writing that his death is a “devastating loss.”

“My heart is broken. I cannot explain how beautiful he was,” she wrote. “Fly high my sweet brother. You always wanted to be a pilot (damn color blindness). Soar.” Ms Stillwell added.

Several elected state officials paid tribute to Talley and the nine other victims following the shooting, with Colorado senator John Hickenlooper writing in a statement that “our state grieves tonight”.

He added: “We mourn ten more Coloradans senselessly killed by gun violence – including police officer Eric Talley. Our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones, and we are grateful to the frontline workers and first responders whose bravery saved lives.”

While Boulder mayor Sam Weaver wrote in a separate statement: “Words can do no justice to the tragedy that has unfolded this afternoon.

“Our community will soon grieve our losses, and begin our healing. Our brave police officers and first responders have the gratitude of our entire city.”

There have been several mass shootings in Colorado over the last 25 years, with one in 1999 at Columbine High School and another in 2012 at an Aurora movie theatre capturing national attention and sparking calls for gun control reforms.

The police have not yet named the other nine victims or the suspect taken into custody following the tragic shooting on Monday. Boulder Police are scheduled to give an update at 8:30am on Tuesday.