Funeral Mass celebrated for officer from ABQ slain in Boulder assault
DENVER — A Roman Catholic funeral Mass was celebrated Monday for a Colorado police officer from Albuquerque who was shot and killed after rushing into a supermarket where a gunman had opened fire.
The draped casket of Boulder police officer Eric Talley, 51, was flanked by six candles during a Latin Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver. Seating was limited because of COVID-19 restrictions, but the service was shown on a livestream provided by the Archdiocese of Denver that was also being shown on television stations.
Talley’s family members attended the service but asked that they not be shown during the Mass, which was conducted in the style that predated reforms made by the Second
Vatican Council in the 1960s, the archdiocese said. Tally grew up in Albuquerque and attended high school here.
According to police, Talley led an initial team of officers into the store on March 22 within 30 seconds of arriving, and the suspect, later identified as Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, shot at the officers, killing Talley.
“No other individuals were shot or killed after these brave officers engaged the suspect,” police tweeted last week.
Alissa, who was wounded in the leg during an exchange of shots with police, has been charged with 10 counts of firstdegree murder and one count of attempted firstdegree murder for firing at another officer. Prosecutors expect to file more charges as the investigation continues.
One of Alissa’s public defenders, Kathryn Herold,
told a judge during his first court appearance that they needed to assess Alissa’s mental illness but did not provide details about his condition.
Talley took a nontraditional route to becoming a police officer. He held a master’s degree in computer communications but left an office job to join the department in 2010 at age 40 because he wanted to serve his community, his father, Homer “Shay” Talley, 74, told The Associated Press.
Talley was a devoted father of seven children and “knew the Lord,” his father said.
A memorial service was also planned for Talley on Tuesday at a large nondenominational church, Flatirons Community Church, in Lafayette. The service is open to the public, but attendance is restricted because of the pandemic. Organizers are encouraging people to watch a livestream of the service on television.