Cop among 10 killed in US shooting had 7 kids, was looking for new job
He had seven kids and was looking for new job, says family; injured suspect arrested
COLORADO: A US police officer killed in a mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store on Monday had seven children and had been looking for a less dangerous job, his father said.
The shooting in Boulder, Colorado, left nine other people dead while a suspect injured in the violence was arrested, the authorities said on Monday.
Officer Eric Talley was the first on the scene, Boulder police chief Maris Herold said, lauding his intervention as "heroic".
Mr Talley, 51, had joined the police just over a decade ago.
His father, Mr Homer Talley, said: "He was looking for a job to keep himself off the front lines and was learning to be a drone operator. He didn't want to put his family through something like this."
"He had seven children. The youngest is seven years old. He loved his kids and his family more than anything."
Earlier, a man seen bloodied and limping as he was led away by the police in handcuffs, was arrested on suspicion of killing 10 people.
The gunman, who was not publicly identified, opened fire at a King Soopers outlet in Boulder.
Media reports said the suspect, who reportedly acted alone, was armed with a rifle.
The authorities gave few details about the bloodshed, which came six days after a gunman went on a killing spree in Georgia, shooting eight people to death.
Like those shootings, Monday's violence in Colorado unfolded in a place of business at the hands of a single armed assailant.
"We were at the checkout, and shots just started going off," said Ms Sarah Moonshadow, 42, who was in the store with her adult son Nicholas.
"And I said, 'Nicholas, get down.' And Nicholas ducked. And we just started listening and there, just repetitive shots... and I said, 'Nicholas, run'."
Ms Moonshadow said she tried to attend to a victim she saw lying on the pavement just outside the store, but her son pulled her away, telling her, "We have to go".
She sobbed recounting their ordeal, adding: "I couldn't help anybody."
The police said the accused gunman was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries he sustained in the violence, but did not explain how he was hurt. There was no word on when he might face an initial court appearance. - REUTERS
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