Boulder City Council holds special meeting to honor the victims of the Kings Soopers shooting
BOULDER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Wednesday night, the Boulder City Council held a special meeting to honor the ten victims of the Kings Soopers shooting and to acknowledge the need for community healing.
The meeting will include an invocation by Rev. Mary Kate Rejouis, followed by a reading of each victim's name and a brief description of their lives.
Several local and state leaders spoke, including Governor Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse, both from Boulder.
"Whether you knew someone personally or not who perished, this was a blow to the entire community," said Gov. Polis.
He went on to say how this tragedy was something everyone can identify with, saying grocery stores are hubs for communities.
"On Monday afternoon, evil manifested and it cut their lives short," said Gov. Polis. "There is no motive or explanation that could justify the action or that can relieve the pain of those left behind and our entire community."
Gov. Polis told Coloradans to own their pain and to not allow themselves to become desensitized to this kind of violence.
During the meeting, the city council touched on the importance of mental health, especially right now.
Dr. George Eliopulos, Chief Medical Officer at Mental Health Partners.
Eliopulos mentioned Officer Eric Talley, one of the ten victims, saying Talley distinguished himself with his compassion for people who needed mental health during his career as an officer for the Boulder Police Department.
Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver ended the meeting by echoing the sentiments he gave on Tuesday during a press conference on the shooting.
"Boulder is a city full of giving and resilient people and we will help each other heal and recover from this tragedy. Boulder is also an active and energetic community. We will put our energy to use in repairing the civic fabric which has been torn. Boulder is a thoughtful and visionary community and we will work together to build a future in which tragedies like this live in a distant and unimaginable past. But for now, we will grieve and console one another and remember the ten precious souls that we lost on Monday."
Watch the full meeting below:
