Boulder Shooting

By Jon Caldara

There is no substitute for a good and brave cop.

Shiny new police equipment matters very little compared to the swift and courageous action of individual police officers. In fact, in the case of the Boulder King Soopers shooting, we’re lucky that waiting for shiny equipment didn’t cost dozens more lives.

The massacre happened in the very store where I shop almost weekly. I knew some of the victims. My daughter would have been in the store but mixed up the time of a doctor’s appointment. One of my son’s caretakers was about to walk in as everyone else was running out.

This crime is close to home.

For years, I’ve wanted some answers. What were police doing for nearly 40 minutes before entering and arresting the killer? Thanks to the trial of the shooter, we’re finally getting some answers. Some.

As we go through this timetable, remember the adage — when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

On March 22, 2021, the shooter drove his C-class, black Mercedes past several other King Soopers from his family home in Arvada to target this particular store.

At 2:29 p.m., he shoots his first of three victims in the parking lot before entering the store at 2:30 and 34 seconds.

In the next 6 seconds he kills five more people. That’s eight dead in 68 seconds. No amount of quick-to-the-scene police would have stopped that. And this is why the recent restrictions on concealed carry permits are so threatening.

A mere five-and-a-half minutes from his first shot, he kills his ninth victim.

The first police officer arrives by 2:33 p.m., just before that ninth victim is killed, and the second officer by 2:34 p.m. When Officer Eric Talley arrives 2:35:43, all three go into the store, and Talley is quickly killed in an ambush. The other two police officers then retreat. Other police enter and retreat, but not before Officer Richard Steidel shoots the killer in the leg. This is very likely why up to 51 more lives were spared.

Again, the heroic Eric Talley and his brave colleagues went in fast and early and wounded the killer, who didn’t shoot anyone else after that.

In all, the shooter was engaged for seven minutes (2:37 to 2:44). Yet he wasn’t arrested until officers went in at 3:21 p.m., 37 minutes later.

What was going on in those 37 minutes? Well, inside the store up to 51 customers and employees were hiding behind counters, in the pharmacy, and one woman crawled behind bags of potato chips to hide, all fearing for their lives. Some escaped out the back.

How long were those 37 minutes for them as a shooter meandered in the isles? And what were the police doing for nearly 40 minutes?

The police were outside the building, around the building and even on top of the building. They were getting frustrated trying to assemble a new shield to protect them. They were waiting for their armored vehicle to arrive.

Inside, the shooter still had three pistol magazines and another 30-round magazine for his rifle. We can reasonably assume that being shot in the leg stopped him from finding survivors.

In fact, he stripped off his tactical gear and clothing, presumably so law enforcement would see he was unarmed and not carrying explosives. He was heard by witnesses hiding in the pharmacy saying, “I’m naked. I surrender.” I doubt he would be saying that if he wasn’t shot.

The city of Boulder has had no transparency on this horrible event. A killer roaming the aisles of a store for nearly 40 minutes as citizens cower deserves an outside independent review at the very least.

But Boulder hasn’t even had an outside independent review of their bungled handling of JonBenet Ramsey’s murder about 27 years ago. I doubt they’ll rush to make answers transparent on this one. Boulder government protecting itself is not the point, that’s just business as usual.

The real story is brave cops quickly engaged in a situation with horrendously dangerous unknowns. By doing so, they ended this rampage, arguably saving 51 people.

Put differently, if not shot and wounded, the shooter could have killed up to 51 more people while police waited outside.

All the police equipment in the world, even if they know how to assemble it, won’t protect citizens like speedy law officers of valor.