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Ten people, including a police officer, were killed when a gunman opened fire at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., on Monday afternoon, the authorities said.
A suspect was arrested after being injured during the shooting, according to the city’s police chief. Officials did not say what had prompted the attack.
The rampage paralyzed parts of Boulder, with law enforcement officers in tactical gear swarming a busy shopping center and at least one other location.
Here is what we know about the rampage.
What happened?
Around 2:30 p.m., the aisles of a King Soopers grocery store a few miles south of the campus of the University of Colorado became a scene of terror when a gunman began shooting. Shoppers and employees ran for cover, and some said they had escaped through an employee stock area and a loading dock at the back of the store.
Many people in the busy shopping center were ordered to shelter in place until law enforcement officers with tactical rifles could secure the area. Later, with their hands on their heads, they were escorted from the store by the police.
A witness who posted a live video from the scene shortly after the shooting began said he heard about a dozen shots and saw three people who appeared to be wounded — two in the parking lot and one inside the supermarket.
About six hours after the shooting, the Boulder police chief, Maris Harold, announced that 10 people had been killed, including a police officer.
“These were people going about their day, doing their food shopping, and their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter, who is now in custody,” Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, said at a news conference on Monday night.
Who were the victims?
Eric Talley, 51, who joined the Boulder Police Department in 2010, was identified as one of the victims of the shooting. He was the first officer to respond to the scene, according to Chief Harold, who credited him, along with law enforcement officers from across the region, with preventing more people from being killed.
“Police officers’ actions fell nothing short of being heroic,” Chief Harold said at a news conference on Monday night. “I’m grateful for the police officers that responded.”
The police said they were still working to identify the other victims and that they were aware of how agonizing it was for family members who were waiting for updates on their loved ones.
Who is the suspect and how was he caught?
Scant details about the gunman were revealed by the authorities, who said they had one person in custody and that the suspect had been injured during the shooting. Videos showed a handcuffed man being escorted from the building by officers, shirtless and with his right leg appearing to be covered in blood. The nature of the suspect’s injuries was not immediately clear.
How were elected officials responding to the shooting?
President Biden has been briefed on the shooting and will be kept apprised of any further developments, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said on Twitter.
On Twitter, Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado said he was following the events as they unfolded.
“My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy,” Mr. Polis said before the death toll was announced.
Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado, who made supporting gun owners’ rights a key part of her agenda, said she was praying for “the police, first responders, and those affected by this tragedy.”
Reporting was contributed by Bryan Pietsch, Will Wright, Erik Vance, Shawn Hubler and Azi Paybarah.
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