ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
The Boulder police officer who died in the mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store last week was memorialized today. The service drew thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country. Colorado Public Radio's Allison Sherry was there and has this report.
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ALLISON SHERRY, BYLINE: Boulder Officer Eric Talley was remembered as an optimistic person who threw himself into everything he became interested in. He left an IT job in his 40s and joined the Boulder police force because he said he wanted to do more good in the world. As an officer, he started the police department's drone program and called his boss once an hour with updates about his day. Sergeant Adrian Drelles was his supervisor.
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ADRIAN DRELLES: I can easily describe Eric. He was a pain in my butt.
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DRELLES: Eric has two speeds of work - talkaholic (ph) and honey badger.
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SHERRY: Officer Talley was 51 and had seven children with his wife, Leah. They are between 7 and 20 years old. They are devout Catholics, and Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold addressed the kids directly.
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MARIS HEROLD: Your father was kind. Your father died a hero. There is no doubt because of his bravery and quick action, dozens of innocent lives were saved.
SHERRY: Talley was among 10 people killed in the shooting last Monday. Officers said in the memorial service that no civilian was injured or died after Talley arrived at the grocery store, which means he saved lives.
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SHERRY: Funeral organizers say between 2,000 and 3,000 people, mostly law enforcement officers from as far away as New York, came to pay respects today in what we know will be many memorials to come in wake of the latest mass shooting tragedy.
For NPR News, I'm Allison Sherry in Denver.
(SOUNDBITE OF HIPPIE SABOTAGE SONG, "OM") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
