BOULDER, Colo. — Dozens of people were caught in the chaos that erupted both inside and outside of the King Soopers store in Boulder on Monday afternoon.
Just before 3 p.m. on March 22, an armed man arrived at the store on Table Mesa Drive and began shooting, first in the parking lot and then inside.
"There's no doubt in my mind I understood what was happening," said Dean Schiller, who arrived at the store just as the shooting began. "It was an active shooter situation. I didn't really have time to think more than that."
He said he saw three victims, two who were outside the store and a third victim immediately inside the store's entrance.
Boulder Police later confirmed that 10 people had been killed, including Officer Eric Talley, who had been with the force since 2010. He was the first officer to respond to the scene.
Brian Kruesi had just finished shopping and was leaving the store when he heard the first gunshots in the parking lot. He told CNN that he left his cart right there and ran back into the store.
"I looked at the people that [were] working at that Starbucks area because right in the entrance is kind of the deli side where there [are] lots of kiosks for Starbucks, sushi, that sort of thing," he said. "I told them, 'We need to call the police, and we need to get out of here immediately, there's a man in the parking lot with an AR-15, and he's shooting.'"
Angelina Romero-Chavez and her boyfriend Amos Plentywolf were in that area of the store after initially stopping in to get laundry soap.
"We went to the deli to get some food and that's when we heard like two gunshot pops," said Romero-Chavez through tears on Tuesday as she recounted what happened.
"Some Starbucks workers asked us to come with them and we went to a supply closet," Amos Plentywolf said.
"We were just trying to get down as low as possible and stay quiet," Romero-Chavez said. "We kinda felt more secure that there was [sic] other people with us."
They stayed in a storage area for roughly two hours, along with some employees and other customers before being rescued.
Amos Plentywolf's mom, Semele Plentywolf, had stayed outside in the car in the parking lot while they went inside. She, too, saw the shooter.
"I was just thinking, 'Please, don't see my car, don't see me, let me not move, be quiet and still and wait for my son and daughter-in-law to get to the car.' That's what I kept thinking," said Semele Plentywolf.
Kreusi said he and others managed to escape safely by running to the back of the store and out the door near the loading docks.
"We jumped down from the loading docks and ran behind the store," he said.
Others took cover inside an upstairs coat closet after fleeing from the gunman, according to a family member. Steven McHugh arrived at the store after learning that his son-in-law and two young granddaughters were inside.
He said that his son-in-law was at the store to get his COVID-19 vaccine and that shots were fired in the immediate area of the pharmacy where his relatives were.
"He [his son-in-law] got the girls down," McHugh said. "And then they ran and hid upstairs in a coat closet for an hour, in the coats."
During that time, he said they were texting updates to their mother. He said officers came in through the roof of the store and assisted them.
One man found safety on the loading dock with a few other customers after a close call with the gunman.
"The guy walked right by me," said Jan. "All he had to do was turn 90 degrees and there was nowhere for me to go."
He said he made it back to the service area and then the loading docks, where he stayed with some other customers until they were eventually let outside by an employee.
Boulder police have announced victims or family members whose vehicles were left in the King Soopers parking lot and who have the keys may go to the Chase Bank at 603 S Broadway Wednesday until 7 p.m. or Thursday, March 25 between 9 a.m. til 5 p.m. to retrieve the vehicles.
The suspect was taken into custody and initially taken to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg. He's now at the Boulder County Jail and is due in court for the first time Thursday morning.
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