BOULDER, Colo. — A miles-long procession honored the Boulder officer who made the ultimate sacrifice when he was one of the first to respond to a grocery store where a gunman began to open fire.
Officer Eric Talley, 51, was one of the 10 people killed in the shooting, which happened on March 22 at the King Soopers off South Table Mesa Drive.
Talley leaves behind a wife and seven children. He had been with the police department since 2010, and had previously made the news for rescuing a family of ducklings from a storm drain in 2013.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold remembered Talley for his love for public service.
"He’s everything policing needs, he cared about this community, Boulder Police, his family,” Herold said. “He was willing to die to protect others, and that gets lost in translation."
A public funeral for Talley was held on Tuesday at Flatirons Church, and the community came out to honor and remember the public servant in a big way.
A video from Broomfield Police showed car after car lined up to honor Talley.
Members of the public lined up on Highway 7 to honor the officer's sacrifice.
It wasn't just cars. Officers on horseback also paid tribute.
The Boulder Police Department said up to 500 law enforcement vehicles were part of the procession.
People showed up for Talley despite a spring snow storm that dropped multiple inches of snow on Colorado, making conditions slightly more diffcult.
Click through the gallery below for photos of the procession from the media camera that captured it.
PHOTOS: Funeral procession for Officer Eric Talley
The 10 victims of the Boulder shooting were:
-Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
- Suzanne Fountain, 59
- Teri Leiker, 51
- Eric Talley, 51
- Kevin Mahoney, 61
- Lynn Murray, 62
- Rikki Olds, 25
- Neven Stanisic, 23
- Denny Stong, 20
- Jody Waters, 65
Boulder Police and CU Boulder Police are honoring each of these 10 victims on their patrol cars, to ensure that these names are never forgotten.
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