Boulder Mass Shooting Hits Close To Home in Aurora

AURORA, IL —News of Monday's mass shooting in Boulder, CO., which left 10 dead, hit especially close to home in the Aurora Police Department for a number of reasons.

The tragedy occurred just over two years after the department and city of Aurora were shaken by the mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Company, in which five men, all employees of the company, were slain and six others, including five police officers, suffered gunshot wounds.

Coincidentally, on Monday, two officers from the Boulder Police Department happened to be at the APD for a training class, according to social media posts by Aurora Chief Kristen Ziman. One of those killed in Colorado was eventually identified as Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, 51, who was the first officer to arrive on the scene.

"At the time (the visiting officers) were scrambling to get flights back to Boulder, they didn't know the status of the shot officer or the victims," Ziman wrote. "I saw the panic in their eyes as more information about the incident unfolded. It brought back the same feelings I experienced during our mass shooting, so I am especially overcome about this tragedy."

Ziman continued: "When I learned the officer (Talley) didn't make it, and the other innocent lives were stolen AGAIN as a result of senseless and cowardly violence, I felt enraged. My heart and soul go out to the family members of those who died and the men and women of the Aurora, Illinois Police Department stand with the Boulder Police Department in silence and suffering."

It had been just over a month since Aurora marked the grim two-year anniversary of the Henry Pratt Company shootings, which occurred when a disgruntled former employee reportedly opened fire during a termination meeting. The shooter was killed by Aurora police after an exchange of gunfire.

While details are still emerging about the events in Boulder, police Tuesday identified the shooter as Ahmad Al Aliwa Alissa, 21, who was charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder. The motive behind the deadly shooting has not yet been identified, investigators said.

"Our hearts ache for those who lost their lives, for their families, for the survivors who were left behind, for the survivors who were able to get out who have scars that can't be seen," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a news conference Tuesday morning. "This is real horror and terror for all of us."