Five years later: Boulder remembers King Soopers mass shooting victims
By Maggie Bryan
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BOULDER, Colorado (KMGH) — Five years after the mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery story in Boulder, family and friends of victims gathered for a remembrance memorial on Sunday to honor the lives of their loved ones.
Ten people were killed in the shooting at the Table Mesa King Soopers on March 22, 2021.
Family members, first responders, elected officials and Boulder residents packed The Museum of Boulder to share memories of the victims and to reflect on the community’s outpouring of support in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Erika Mahoney’s father, Kevin Mahoney, was killed in the shooting as he was shopping at the grocery store. She said the pain of losing her father has not gone away over the past five years, but she has learned how to cope with her grief.
“I’ve learned how to connect with my dad in different ways. I ask for little signs, his favorite song will come on, or I’ll make his favorite meal,” Erika Mahoney said. “I still feel like he’s watching over me. In fact, I feel like I have 10 guardian angels.”
Robert Olds lost his niece, Rikki Olds, who was a manager at the King Soopers. He said he continues to share stories about her to keep her memory alive and relies on his faith to get through each day.
“For the last five years, I haven’t been able to make any new memories with her,” Robert Olds said. “Believe in your faith, and you will get through. Is it going to be easy? Absolutely not, but the sun will come up tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, it’s going to come up the next day.”
During the memorial, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn shared words from the family of Officer Eric Talley, who was killed while responding to the shooting. In an interview with Denver7 before the memorial, the police chief said his department is still dealing with the impacts of the tragedy.
“We have committed that we’ll never forget Eric. We’ll never forget his bravery and sacrifice, but we’re never going to forget the people that were just going about their day, that day, either working or shopping, and for no reason, were murdered,” Chief Redfearn said.
Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, who was a city council member at the time of the shooting, reflected on the community’s immediate response to the shooting.
“The response was overwhelming. It was so positive. If you remember, the fences around King Soopers were absolutely covered in memorials and flowers and gifts, and people were there every day, offering their respects. The way that the community came together was truly extraordinary,” Brockett said.
While families said they will never make sense of the tragedy, many said the loss gave them a renewed purpose in life.
“We can’t make sense of the senseless,” Mahoney said. “Loss is the teacher that you never ask for, but it does teach you so many things. I feel fearless. I feel like we have this one beautiful life, and we should go and live it.”
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